2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard is a dark, mysterious wine. Black cherry, new leather, incense, mocha, licorice, lavender and espresso fill out the layers. There is a bit more oak influence here, but it works quite well with the style and character of Howell Mountain. This dark, sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon is superb. What a gorgeous wine. This is the best showing yet for the 2015 Hershey since I tasted it in barrel nearly ten years ago.
Critic scores
Average Score
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard (this is the coolest site they work with) from Howell Mountain has a slightly fresher, more black fruit-driven style in its espresso, crushed rocks, scorched earth, and chocolate-tinged aromas and flavors. On the palate, it’s beautifully full-bodied and rich, with a seamless texture, perfectly integrated acidity and tannins, and a great finish. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age but is another thrilling wine.
Dana's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard offers an attractive combination of the primary intensity of the year allied to the natural structure of Howell Mountain. Inky, deep and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2015 Hershey is super expressive today. Graphite, menthol, plum, lavender and pencil shavings add shades of nuance, and yet the intensity of the fruit dominates. I won't be surprised to see the 2015 grow even more in bottle. This is a terrific showing from the 2015 Hershey.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard is terrific. Super-ripe, inky blue/purplish fruit is pushed forward. Today, the Hershey is distinctly racy and forward, moreso than I remember based on how the wine showed from barrel. Howell Mountain signatures are present, but the tannins are unusually soft for a young mountain wine. I am not at all surprised winemaker Chris Cooney decided to bottle the 2015 a bit earlier than normal.
About the producer
Located on the Rutherford bench, Dana Estates is a small Napa estate focused on producing fine, single-site Cabernet Sauvignon. The concentrated wines are some of the region’s most sought-after, regularly earning top ratings from critics – with 19 100-point scores to date.