Wine reviews
The 2015 barrel samples show the wonderful, pure, deep, fleshy and succulent fruit that this vintage showcases in abundance. The tiny yields and great ripeness have combine to portend a great, great vintage for Bordeaux varieties, as well as others in Northern California. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Elysian just ratchets up everything by several degrees. The wine shows slightly more new oak, loads of licorice, blueberry and blackberry liqueur and an opulent, spectacular mouthfeel and length. It should drink beautifully for another 20 years.-RP
Jazzy new oak plays a favorable role in the mix of flavor and texture. A complex and deftly balanced effort that soothes and caresses, with a finish where the flavors glide with ease. Drink now through 2039. 280 cases made. – J.L.
Made up entirely of Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Elysian opens with cassis, blackberry preserves and incense with touches of cigar box, dried herbs, earth and smoked meat. Full-bodied and tightly wound in the mouth with firm, grainy tannins, the wine has many layers ready to spring and a mineral note on the finish. – LPB
The flagship is the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Elysian and it's a barrel selection made by Mike chosen with the goal of the most seamless expression of the vineyard. It offers insane notes of crème de cassis, licorice, blackberries, violets and hints of toasty oak. Full-bodied, beautifully balanced, ultra-fine and pure, with terrific tannin, it's another great, great wine from Mike that's going to evolve for 25+ years. – JD