Dana Estates Lotus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022

Dana Estates is a wine producer of Napa Valley, loccated at the foot of the Mayacamas mountain range. It produces a range of premium single-vineyard wines, mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon with a small inclusion of Sauvignon Blanc.

There are three single vineyards spread across the Rutherford and Howell Mountain AVAs. The Helms Vineyard, in Rutherford, is planted solely to Cabernet Sauvignon, and is planted on gentle slopes with well-draining, gravelly loam soils.

Critical Acclaim

98 Wine Advocate

Lotus vineyard is just below Howell Mountain, not high enough to make that AVA. A very steep vineyard, 100% hand farmed, Lotus is by far the warmest site for this estate. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard is made from Cabernet Sauvignon with just a 1% splash of Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with vibrant, primary scents of black raspberries, ripe blackberries and wild blueberries with emerging notions of blackcurrant pastilles, lilacs, cinnamon toast and sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, featuring firm, grainy tannins and tons of freshness supporting the densely packed, muscular black fruits, finishing with epic length and depth. 342 cases were made.

98 Vinous

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard captures all the best this challenging year had to offer. It is also the biggest and richest wine in the range. Black cherry, plum, spice, licorice and blood orange are all amplified in this sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon. The Lotus shows a bit more new oak toastiness than the other wines in the lineup, but it all works well together. In two previous tastings, the 2017 showed so much promise. Now that it is in bottle, all of the potential has been captured.

97 Jeb Dunnuck

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Vineyard is more pure and polished, with a beautifully elegant, medium to full-bodied, seamless style that I’d never guess came from the 2017 vintage. Offering lots of crme de cassis, black raspberry, crushed flowers, candied orange, and graphite-like aromatics, it’s flawlessly balanced on the palate and has incredible tannins, ample mid-palate depth, and beautiful length on the finish. Just pure class, it’s a wine that builds with time in the glass and is going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades. It’s an incredible achievement in this vintage.

96 James Suckling

Opulent aromas of plums, blueberries and raspberries with lots of violets. Hints of incense, too. Full body and chewy, polished tannins. Rich palate, yet tense. Needs time to come together. Better after 2023.