Wine reviews
There are a scant 150 cases in the making of the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III, which comes from a famous valley floor site in Rutherford (the early Georges de la Tour releases from Andre Tchelistcheff came from this vineyard) and is a mix of clones 337, 4, and 15. This beauty is a ripe, powerful 2017 that has loads of blueberry and kirsch liqueur fruit characteristics, plenty of chocolate, graphite, and violet nuances, full-bodied power, and a stacked mid-palate. It has plenty of tannins, which are largely concealed by a wealth of fruit, but this is the real deal and a serious, age-worthy, layered Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that does everything right. – JD
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard gives up baked black currants, blackberry pie and red currant jelly scents with wafts of red roses, fragrant soil, unsmoked cigars, tapenade and Indian spices. The palate is full-bodied, firm, grainy, muscular and tightly wound with a fragrant finish. – LPB
I was blown away by the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, which has to be one of the best wines to come from this site in some time. Full-bodied notes of blue fruits, iron, bay leaf, and violets all emerge from the glass, and it opens up beautifully with time. As with all of Mike’s 2017s, the tannins are terrific, it’s flawlessly balanced, and just a stunning wine. It too will have 20 years or more of longevity. – JD