2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helms Vineyard

Dana bottles some of their wines on the later side, so some of the 2013s were still in barrel when I stopped by in October. Chris Cooney has taken over the winemaking reins from Cameron Vawter, who is sailing around the world with his family. Philippe Melka remains the consulting winemaker. Nothing much has changed at Dana, where the Cabernets are statuesque, racy wines full of intrigue. As always, production is tiny, even by Napa Valley standards, but the level of care lavished on these vines and the wines once they are in the cellar has very few equals.

Dana's 2012s and 2013 are superb. As always, the wines exemplify the nearly obsessive attention to detail instilled by proprietor Hi Sang Lee. Winemaker Cameron Vawter told me he continues to work towards dry farming. In 2012, sugars were at their lowest historical level at Helms, which Vawter attributes to a reduced reliance on irrigation. The 2012s are just as voluptuous as they have always been. In 2012, the harvest stretched into the second half of October, which is late for Dana. Harvest dates were generally a few weeks earlier in 2013, except at Hershey, where they were the same across both vintages. Then again, Howell Mountain is really a world unto its own. Still, I could not help notice that the 2013s at Dana come across as very polished wines that will drink well early within the context of the vintage. After a number of short vintages, Dana fans will be thrilled to hear that production is back to normal, which means around 300 cases for each of the vineyard designate Cabernets.