93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley is the second vintage of Anakota's second-label Cabernet, meant for drinking in the near term rather than the cellaring required for the Helena Dakota and Helena Montana. "I may make more in the future where I can, but it depends on the vintage," assistant winemaker and second-generation vigneron Hélène Seillan says. It's blended with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot and was matured for 12 months in 30% new French oak. Already bottled, it offers pretty aromas of blueberries and cassis with tones of violet, coffee grounds, earth and mushroom. The medium-bodied palate is supple and juicy, with ripe yet not over-the-top fruit and a long, graphite-laced finish. There's a lot less new oak on this cuvée, and it really works! Around 1,500 cases were made.

Tasting Notes

A dark violet core of color gives rise to flavors of crunchy black cherry, ripe black currant, and fresh California Bay Laurel, naccentuated with subtle baking spices and bittersweet baking cocoa. These vibrant flavors wash across the palate, joined by
crushed stone minerality from the volcanic soils of our Knights Valley vineyards. Luxuriously firm tannins and bright acidity imparted by a very fine vintage, balance the exuberance of the fruit, leading to a very long finish.

Winemaker Notes

Grown in the volcanic soils of our estate-owned vineyards, Anakota Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon embodies the rustic spirit of rural Sonoma County. Our vineyards climb the southwest-facing slopes of 4,300ft. Mount St. Helena, and are surrounded by
a wilderness of cold mountain streams and forests of native fir and oak. The message of our soil, as expressed by the subtle variations of topography and geology, is conveyed in every bottle.

Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdo