Winemaker Notes
Dark cherry and berries, layered with baking spice and Madagascar vanilla. The palate opens with rich warm fruit notes that are interwoven with precise tannins. The wine is powerful, yet shows a refined pedigree for a wine primarily from hillside vineyards. The bright acidity brings freshness to the palate. Cherries, mocha and nutmeg linger on the finish, underscored by an enticing minerality. While inviting now, this wine will grow in complexity, and the flavors will marry further with time. Enjoy now through 2028 or beyond.
Blend: 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is the best Onda ever. Subtle and perfumed aromas of blackberry, sage, and bramble berry. Plummy. Full-bodied, chewy yet velvety and polished. Layered and delicious. Pretty balance and length. Savory and salty. White pepper too. Wonderful finish. A blend of wines from all the vineyards of Dana with a majority from Crystal Spring and Hershey. So much precision here. Drink or hold. 987 cases.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There are three vineyard sites, and the wine they cull out of those vineyards is the least expensive blend, Onda. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Onda, which is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot, sees less new oak than its stablemates. The wine is opaque purple with a beautiful, structured nose of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry fruit and charcoal, followed by a medium to full-bodied opulence and richness. This is a beauty that should drink well for at least several decades.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.