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The Tale of Anakota:
Journey deep into the heart of Knights Valley in serene Sonoma County, and you'll discover the enchanting story of Anakota. Nestled within an ancient volcanic zone, this hidden gem boasts remarkably diverse soils and a climate that's tailor-made for Bordeaux varietals.
Anakota, a collection of wines meticulously sourced from our estate-owned vineyards, embodies the rustic elegance and essence of rural Sonoma County.
Ascend over 4,000 feet above sea level, and you'll find Mount St. Helena, casting its watchful eye upon our estate-owned vineyards, nestled discreetly along the rugged slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain Range.
Anakota's Guiding Philosophy:
In the late 1990s, their quest for the perfect location to cultivate Grand Cru-level Cabernet Sauvignon led them to a place that could blend the opulence and concentration of Napa with the acidity, precision, and age-worthiness of Sonoma. That place was the Knights Valley AVA, a hidden treasure that received its AVA status in 1983. Their ranch, known as Anakota, emerged, and in 1997, they embarked on the journey of surveying the terrain, analyzing the soils, and planting vines.
Today, under the skilled guidance of Vigneron Pierre Seillan, they craft limited quantities of single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons from their two hillside estate vineyards: Helena Dakota and Helena Montana, alongside a carefully blended Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Micro-Cru Winemaking Philosophy:
With over half a century of winemaking experience, Pierre has honed his unique "micro-cru" farming and winemaking principles. Rooted in a blend of knowledge, observation, experimentation, and intuition, this system recognizes that every vineyard is a mosaic of soils, microclimates, exposures, and elevations. Instead of treating each site as a monolith, Pierre divides them into small blocks and sub-blocks, often as intimate as one acre. These vineyards within vineyards are tailored to mirror the nuanced variations in soils, terrain, and microclimates. Each micro-cru is nurtured individually to ensure uniformly ripe grapes that convey the essence of the soil. The harvest and vinification of each micro-cru are conducted separately. Two wines, vinified from identical clones and rootstocks but hailing from radically different micro-crus, yield profoundly distinct expressions.
