Wine reviews
The same can be said for the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. But what’s new? In the hands of talented craftspeople, this vineyard produces an amazing Cabernet Sauvignon offering notes of high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, licorice, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, fabulous intensity, no hard edges, sweet tannin and a multidimensional, skyscraper-like, full-bodied personality. Drink 2018-2040. Not yet released.. Tor Kenward continues to turn out a portfolio of wines with sensational quality. The longtime public relations guy at Beringer, he has decades of experience with some of the finest winemakers and vineyard sites in Napa and Sonoma. That thorough knowledge and expertise is admirably displayed in the following wines. This may be his best overall performance to date, although his 2011s were very successful for the vintage, and he produced many great 2010s as well. I tasted three bottled 2012 and four 2013 Chardonnay barrel samples. Tor Kenward utilizes highly regarded vineyards generally planted with low-yielding Old Wente clones. Rumors have always suggested these clones came from Corton-Charlemagne in Burgundy many decades ago. Tor has nailed the 2013 vintage as he has produced two wines that push perfection, and several others that merit scores in the high nineties. Kudos to Tor Kenward who is pushing the envelope in a dramatic and brilliant manner! -RP
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon, or course, comes from that great first-growth vineyard, and what’s not to like, as everyone seems to nail a classic Cabernet from this large holding on the valley floor in Oakville. Deep purple, with notes of creosote, charcoal, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit as well as some licorice and background oak, this wine has great intensity, a magnificent mouthfeel and texture, and a long, long finish. Tor Kenward has put together an impressive portfolio of wines, slowing increasing the number of single-vineyard offerings. His stuff is exciting, which is not all that surprising, given his long-time experience working at Beringer as well as his rich wine-tasting experience over multiple decades. The 2013 Chardonnays are absolutely brilliant. Almost all of them are made from heritage California clones such as Old Wente (known for its tiny berries and small yields). The 2014 Chardonnays had just been bottled, but they also showed well, given that they are slightly tighter and more reserved because of the recent transfer from wood to glass. The Rock wines are the Rhône varietals in the Tor Kenward portfolio. The 2013 Tor Cabernet Sauvignons are the best he has released to date. I thought he hit home runs with many of his 2012s, but he has exceeded those efforts with his 2013 grouping. 2014 continues the string of amazing vintages Napa had. Yields were lower than in 2012 and 2013, and the wines don’t seem to have quite the drama and flamboyance of 2012 or the profound depth, structure and upside of the 2013s, but they are still beautiful wines, and as I have said so many times in this report, their biggest sin is to have followed two very great -RP
This is rich and layered, showing wonderful complexity in aroma and flavor, with tiers of spicy oak, vivid wild berry and dark berry, currant and plum flavors, held together by refreshing acidity and firm, fine-grained tannins. The finish sails on and on. Drink now through 2032. 600 cases made.–JL