#36 Top 100 wines of USA by James Suckling ~ 2025 edition
 
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. 
Vineyard: 62% Helena Montana and Helena Dakota, 23% Coyote Hill, Franz Creek 15%
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, aged for 12 months in French oak (30% New).
Soil: Yellow-white sandy and gravelly loam, and red-brown loam.
 
Anakota
Anakota was established in Knight Valley, Sonoma County, in 2001. Sited in an especially rural part of the county, the point of the winery is to make estate vineyard, Bordeaux-style wines. The 12.5-acre Helena Dakota vineyard is at 750 feet above sea level. The 60-acre Helena Montana vineyard is at 950 feet. Both have the advantage of volcanic soils. Winemaker Pierre Seillan, a native of Gascony, France, who grew up on an estate dedicated to the production of Armagnac. He moved to California in the late 1990s and has made wines for various prestigious California producers. He is winemaker for Verite, as well as domaines in France and Italy. The estate makes 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and is part of the Jackson Family Wines Collection, a conglomerate of wineries around the world.
Knights Valley
A small and picturesque valley separating Napa Valley on its south border and Alexander Valley to its north, Knights Valley excels in similar varieties as the two aforementioned appellations, namely red Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Sauvignon blanc. Originally established by Beringer Vineyards, today several outstanding producers claim acreage here. The circadian cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean and a higher altitude create a nighttime respite for vineyards during the hot growing season.
Knights Valley's volcanic terroir comes from its location on the edge of Mount Saint Helena. Millions of years ago, the Russian river ran straight through what is now Knights Valley, but its course was diverted by a massive eruption. This left volcanic deposits and alluvial gravel soils on the valley floor. These soils reduce disease pressure in the vineyards, as well as keeping vigor and yield low, leading to more intensely flavored, concentrated grapes.