2018 Dakota Shy Bale Mill Creek Vineyard Series Volume I Cabernet Sauvignon

Dakota Shy was founded in 2008 by Todd Newman, who had worked in fine dining and at Revana Family Vineyard. But he wanted to create a luxury wine estate, so he teamed up with his friend Tom Garret, a winemaker and Napa Valley native whose winemaking experience included stints at Turley Wine Cellars, Joseph Phelps Winery, Robert Mondavi and Revana. Dakota Shy has an estate at the base of Pritchard Hill, but it also sources grapes from all over Napa Valley. The estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and a rosé. The wines have earned ratings in the mid-90s from reviewers. Vinous has noted that the estate’s flagship wines “are contemporary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons that offer a compelling interplay of richness and structure, with perhaps a slight leaning toward the more extroverted end of the spectrum.”

St. Helena AVA is at the northern end of Napa Valley just north of Rutherford and south of Calistoga. It is a relatively warm climate thanks to the Mayacamas Mountains on its western edge, which protect it from Pacific Ocean fog. Out of the 9,000 acres in the appellation, some 1,500 are under vine. The principal grapes grown in St. Helena are the Bordeaux grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. St. Helena is considered prime wine producing territory, and it was one of the first important wine producing regions in northern California. The legendary Charles Krug founded his winery just north of the town of St. Helena in 1873, and today the appellation is home to many prestigious producers, including Abreu, Grace Family and Spottswoode.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.