Wine reviews
The 2021 Lithology Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is 81% Cabernet Franc, with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon. Scents of crushed stone, pencil shavings and pipe tobacco accent mixed cherries and dark chocolate, all with a gently leafy undertone. This complex, full-bodied wine is moderately tannic, with a long, softly dusty finish and hints of mocha and espresso. – JC
A co-fermented blend of 81% Cabernet Franc and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Cabernet Franc Lithology Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is a small step up over the Dr. Crane Cabernet Franc, but both are incredibly impressive, seamless wines. Deep purple-hued, with a kaleidoscopic array of black raspberries, cassis, spring flowers, incense, and spicy oak, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, and a flawlessly balanced, seamless, elegant profile that ranks with the best in the vintage. Give bottles 3-4 years if you can and it will evolve for at least two decades. – JD
Lithology’s Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc is a riveting, opulent, flashy red, embodying everything there is to love about a full-flavoured California red wine. Loaded with blue fruit that will surely mellow with age, but for classicists looking forward to a finesse-driven Cabernet Franc, look elsewhere. This is larger-than-life Cabernet Franc, and there’s no denying the delicious factor, fueled by layers of blueberry, plum, and boysenberry fruit tinged with sweet cedar spices. A generous dose of minerality overtakes the mid-palate, and dusty tannins build on the finish, which gains in savoury saline edges. One can see a window into the future of this wine, which is bright and more refined as it will eventually shed some of its youthful exuberance. – JC
The 2021 Cabernet Franc Lithology Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is a co-ferment of 81% Cabernet Franc and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon that's still resting in 71% new French oak. It has remarkable purity and elegance as well as full-bodied aromas and flavors of pure cassis, wildflowers, graphite, and damp earth. The tannins are perfectly ripe, it's flawlessly balanced, and a gem of a wine in the making. –JD