96pts Jeb Dunnuck

Coming from a single vineyard located off Old Soda Spring Road, the 2016 He-Li-An-Thus offers a complex style in its conifer, bay leaf, cigar wrapper, and bloody black fruits. With obvious minerality, full body, a seamless, elegant texture, and a great finish, drink it any time over the coming 20+ years. (1/2019)

96pts James Suckling

Purity of fruit to this beautiful, young red, offering blackberries, blueberries and hints of flowers. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a fresh and bright finish. Subtle softness at the end. Cofermented blend of 64% cabernet sauvignon, 17% merlot, 14% petit verdot and five per cent cabernet franc. All about purity. Drink or hold.

 95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This is not a Futo property, but it is made by Futo. The 2016 Proprietary Red He-Li-An-Thus is composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 14% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals energetic blackberries, black cherries and warm plums scents with hints of menthol, lavender and cinnamon stick plus a hint of potpourri. Medium-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid line of ripe, grainy tannins framing the lithe fruit, finishing long and mineral laced. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered. (LBP)

Vinous - Antonio Galloni

The 2016 Helianthus is gorgeous. Dark, ample and savory, the 2016 possesses terrific resonance and breadth. Sage, charcoal, menthol, spice, leather and chocolate all run through this plush, super-expressive Cabernet Sauvignon. Intense mineral underpinnings give the wine its shape and overall feel. Brooding and mysterious in feel, the 2016 is showing beautifully today. This is a fabulous example of the year at its finest.

Winemaker Notes

The 2016 helianthus is a wine that draws you in. Vibrant aromatics and silky, lacy textural nuances speak to finesse above all else. Crème de cassis, blackberry preserve, chocolate, alpine herbs and wild flowers all grace the palate, with a fabric like tannin that accentuates the wine's purity. With time in the glass more volcanic and mineral impressions add to this perfumed complexity.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc. 355 cases