A classic California cabernet with great structure, abundant black fruit flavors and a lingering finish. This is built for further aging, and its blackcurrant, black cherry and dried blueberry flavors will mature and evolve. Full-bodied, firmly tannic and nicely layered. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.
96 points, Jim Gordon, James Suckling (Jan 2025)
Tasted twice, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Anakota is sourced from 32- to 35-year-old vines and has the addition of 12% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It saw 12 months in 30% new French oak. In the glass, it pours a deep red color and opens to aromas of black plum, polished leather, graphite, and violets. It’s full-bodied, with refined, ripe tannins, even acidity, and a graceful and long finish with hints of cocoa and dusty earth. It’s open and inviting now but has a good deal of structure underneath. Drink 2025-2045. 1500 cases were produced.
94+ points, Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck (Jul 2025)
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.
93 points, Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate (Aug 2023)
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