Wine reviews
The two greatest wines of Tor Kenward’s 2014s include the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon, which offers fabulous intensity, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a terrific nose of créme de cassis, cedar wood, lead pencil, tobacco leaf, and dusty, loamy soil notes. This rich wine has surprising grip, structure and density for a 2014, and should drink well for 25 years. 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
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard ratchets up the level of concentration. Charcoal embers, graphite, blackberry and blueberry notes, Christmas fruitcake and licorice are all present in the incredible bouquet of this forward and open-knit style of wine. Drink now-2035.-RP Tor Kenward is using his vast experience in the wine industry and impressive palate to find exceptional terroirs and produce fascinating wines that merit serious attention. His winemaking guru is Jeff Ames, who makes his own wines under the Rudius label. I re-reviewed the 2014 Chardonnays and most of them fell within one to two points after bottling last year. His 2015 Chardonnays are also bottled. The 2015 Chardonnays, which are concentrated and generally made from smaller yields are slightly even more impressive than his 2014 Chardonnays. Kenward has an impressive array of 2014 reds, all of them showing as well as, or better, than I had predicted in my range of scores last year.
There’s no mistaking the authority and presence of this youngster, which displays all the depth and complexity you might hope for while adding a measure of delicacy. Drink now through 2034. – J.L.