DANA ESTATES
NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA 2022
WHY BUY: DANA Estates made their Concierge debut last February, and your response was so overwhelming that we knew we had to secure allocations for their 2022 portfolio: today, we’re proud to bring you four wines from that vintage (a 98-pointer, two 97-pointers, and a 96-pointer), along with two from their 2021 portfolio (a 97-pointer and a 96-pointer). As you well know, the output of this beloved Napa cult producer (Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate anointed them a “superstar”) is exceedingly scarce in the marketplace, and these six bottles show exactly why demand remains so unbelievably high: the startlingly vivid expression of mountain fruit; the rare marriage of power and refinement; and a level of detailing that would make a Swiss watchmaker appear cavalier by comparison.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: James Suckling awarded 98 points to the Montagna Vineyard Cabernet 2022, calling it "a serious new wine" from the high vineyards of Pritchard Hill and praising its "real tannin presence" and muscular foundation. He also weighed in on two others in this group: the Helms Vineyard 2022, an aromatic, “full-bodied” and “delicious" 97-pointer "with medium tannins that are open and plush," and the 97-point Lotus Vineyard 2022, with its palate of "dark chocolate, blackberries, light plums and cherries,” its "nice fruit” on the finish, and its dusty tannins. The ONDA 2021 also took home 97 points — this, from Jeb Dunnuck, who declared it "a brilliant bottle of wine that readers will love," and predicting that it will "cruise for two decades in cold cellars."
THE STORY: Nestled in the shadow of the Mayacamas Mountains, DANA farms their precipitous mountain sites with the kind of painstaking attention usually reserved for bonsai cultivation. Under the guidance of celebrated winemakers Chris Cooney and Philippe Melka, these exceptional terroirs (spanning both sides of Napa Valley with prized sites on Howell Mountain's slopes) are transformed into wines that speak, and with a crystalline clarity, of their extraordinary plots. Helms Vineyard consists of five acres on gravelly loam, right on the northern edge of the Rutherford bench, planted in 1997 and 1998. Hershey Vineyard, on Howell Mountain, is 26 acres in total, though the Dana Hershey label comes mainly from just four blocks. Lotus Vineyard sits just below Howell Mountain, not quite high enough to make that AVA; it’s a super steep vineyard, 100% hand farmed, and by far the warmest site for this estate. What all the sites have in common is struggle: struggle for the vines, that is, whose challenge to survive the bedrock becomes, later, our pleasure in the glass.
OUR TASTING NOTES: What unites these six expressions, in spite of their dramatically different origins, is a kind of architectural precision that some lesser producers might mistake for austerity. These are the diametric opposite of fruit bombs. They’re mountain Cabernets that announce their elevation through mineral tension and tannins that grip without strangling, and fruit that speaks of struggle rather than ease. The hallmark across all six is the way brawn never obscures nuance. There's muscle here, certainly, but it's the lean, coiled strength of an athlete rather than the bulk of a bodybuilder. Suckling keeps returning to elements like crushed stones, terra cotta, graphite — and little wonder: this the vocabulary of place, not winemaking intervention. Generous and restrained, these wines deliver waves upon waves of dark fruit and chocolate without ever tipping into opulence. The expression of mountain fruit comes through most clearly, perhaps, in how these wines refuse to be one thing; they shift and evolve in the glass, revealing new dimensions with each return.
FUN FACT: The dozen lotuses that grace DANA's label represent the months of the grapevine's lifecycle, as well as the 12 symbolic animals in the Lunar Zodiac tradition. Both are nods to the natural rhythm of winemaking and to the estate's Sanskrit name, which translates to: "the Spirit of Generosity."
WHAT TO PAIR THEM WITH: The usual suspects will of course make excellent mates — a dry-aged ribeye, a rack of lamb, wild mushroom risotto — but wines of this caliber and complexity deserve to be experienced on their own, at least initially. These are meditation wines, best savored solo and in proper stemware, so that you can appreciate their profound depth and nuance.
OUR GUARANTEE: As with all our premium offerings, you can be assured that these wines come directly from the estate, ensuring perfect provenance. Secure your bottles and cases today!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Spring 2026. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. The price reflected on your order form is subject to change after the order is placed in the event of a change in tariffs or taxes that are imposed by the U.S. government, or in the case of currency fluctuations of 10% or greater. Offer not valid in DC, DE, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, NE, NM, NY, OK, TN, WI, and WA. This offer will expire on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025.