2021 Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Onda
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Onda comes from a mix of the Helms, Crystal Spring, Hershey, and Lotus vineyards and is based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. It's a still wine that’s showing even better now from bottle, offering a sweet nose of crème de cassis, violets, darker chocolate, and a Graves-like graphite character. It's full-bodied, has a deep, rich, layered mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great finish. This is as good as, if not better than, the 2016, 2018, and 2019, and is a brilliant bottle of wine that readers will love. It's going to cruise for two decades in cold cellars.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Yields were down in 2021, but the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Onda is super. Dried herbs combine easily with cassis and cherries on the nose, bringing a cool, restrained sense to the aromas, while the full-bodied palate is somewhere between silky and velvety in texture, finishing long and focused. Drawn mainly from the estate vineyard on Crystal Springs Road, there are 866 cases of this blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Onda is terrific. With only a very tiny amount produced, the 2021 captures all the freshness and vibrancy of the year, showing lovely inner perfume and fine balance. Crushed flowers, sweet red cherry/plum fruit, blood orange, mint and spice are nicely pushed forward. The tannins are present but well integrated, and silky contours wrap it all together. There's gorgeous purity here. (AG)
Juicy and pretty with plenty of sweet berries and medium chewy tannins. Full-bodied, showing great depth of fruit with juiciness and richness. More tannins now.
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.