Wine reviews
Sourced from Beckstoffer Las Piedras in the western reaches of St Helena, this wine was fermented and aged for 28 months in 100% new French oak. Sourced from a new block because their typical block is being replanted. In 2023, Kirk Venge and the B. Cellars team show what's possible from this hillside, warm site. It carries the power and unctuousness that Venge is known for, balanced by the freshness and energy of the 2023 vintage. The bouquet is ultra-fresh, with loamy earth, spring flowers, and graphite minerality, alongside early-summer fennel and beautiful blackberry fruit. On the palate, this wine is silky-satin, with more scorched-earth and graphite, framed by ultra-fine tannins that carry through to a beautifully full-bodied and energetic finish.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Las Piedras Vineyard bursts with powerful notes of black currant cordial, plum pudding, and boysenberry preserves, giving way to hints of fried herbs, underbrush, unsmoked cigars, and black truffles. The big, concentrated, full-bodied palate is filled with savory/earth-laced stewed black fruit layers, supported by lightly chewy tannins and a refreshing line, finishing long with a mineral lift.
From a beautiful site not far from Dr. Crane on the west side of St. Helena, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Las Piedras Vineyard has a brilliant perfume of red and black fruits, camphor, chalky earth, and graphite, as well as some savory, dried herbal, and chocolate notes. Aged 26 months in 100% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied, has a pure, focused, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's another killer wine from winemaker Kirk Venge.