Wine reviews
An utterly profound wine, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is a dead-ringer for a firstgrowth Pauillac. Notes of licorice, graphite, crème de cassis, melon and spring flowers emerge from this ripe, long, full-bodied 2012. Bursting with potential, it is much more open and forward than most To Kalon wines tend to be at this stage of development, it has everything one could want in a classic Napa Cabernet. Tor Kenward, the long-time PR rep for the Beringer empire, has his own project for a number of years and he continues to build an impressive portfolio of fascinating wines that reflect his love of Napa Valley and his own personal preference for complex wines. Incidentally, he has one of the great wine collections of Napa and he is one of those true connoisseurs who is happy to share his best bottles. While production levels for the wines in this portfolio are relatively small, all of them are top-notch, interesting efforts. Tasting through three vintages of Tor’s Cabernet Sauvignons left me with the impression that this winery continues to go from strength to strength. Despite the issues of valley floor vineyards, Tor has done well in 2011. He told me that the rot that afflicted many valley floor vineyards was very site specific, and the only way to ensure clean, pure wines was low yields, open canopies, culling out affected bunches or berries, and Draconian-like sorting procedures. It appears he has done all of that given the success of his 2011s, which, with the exception of the Cimarossa, are low elevation vineyards. I also tasted five barrel samples from 2012, a large, easy vintage with no problems of any serious consequence.
One of my highest ratings goes to the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Super sweet notes of white chocolate, crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, licorice and cedarwood along with baking spices soar from the glass of this first-growth look-alike from Tor Kenward. Everyone who uses this fabulous vineyard seems to create something extra special. With superb intensity, a full-bodied mouthfeel and incredible purity, texture and depth, this classic from Napa should drink well for 20-25 years. 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
Direct and powerful, this full-throttle Cabernet offers a dense core of extracted blackberry, black cherry, cassis, mocha, loamy earth, cedar and tobacco leaf flavors. Ends with cedary oak and gripping tannins, but this is ultimately graceful given the size and scope. Drink now through 2030. 975 cases made. –JL