Wine reviews

October 2013

One of this estate’s top wines, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard possesses the sweetest, fleshiest fruit of this group. Copious notes of blue and black fruits intermixed with graphite, toasty oak, forest floor and spring flowers are found in this supple Cabernet along with light to moderate sweet tannin and medium to full body. Already delicious, the Dr. Crane should drink well for 10-12 years. Alpha Omega, which has been in existence for nearly a decade, is located in a handsome building on Highway 29. The wines are made by Jean Hoefliger teamed with the famous globe-trotting Bordeaux oenologist, Michel Rolland. I have noticed incremental improvement in these cuvees, and the 2011s generally performed well. - RP