Wine reviews
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is a match for the virtually perfect 2012. Stunning blueberry and black raspberry notes as well as underlying minerality, great definition, an incredible perfume, richness and an unctuous texture result in a massive but well-balanced Cabernet that is another tour de force from Mark Carter. Drink 2016-2036. One of my favorite tiny boutique wineries in Napa Valley is Carter Cellars. They have been on a fabulous qualitative roll lately, and there are high expectations for the 2012s and 2013s. I tasted six barrel samples from the 2013 vintage, which all achieved basically the same alcohol levels as the 2012s, 14.8%-14.9%. By and large, the berries were smaller in 2013, and yields were good, but not as abundant as in 2012. That fact is often seen in the wines which are even more concentrated (as hard as that is to believe) than the 2012s. The 2013 vintage looks like a replay of 2001, and 2012 looks like a repeat of 2002, at least for Bordeaux varietals in Napa Valley. I can’t say enough about these offerings from Carter Cellars. If the rumor around the wine world is true that, because of their name, this estate was being harassed, possibly sued by the huge international French firm of Cartier, shame on Cartier.-RP
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, which comes from St. Helena, has that blueberry, gravelly, wet-pebble note that I often associate with great vintages of La Mission Haut-Brion. The wine has an inky purple color, gorgeous black raspberry, blueberry liqueur notes, licorice and earth. Full-bodied and opulent with silky tannins, this is a tour de force in winemaking and pure perfection. This is absolutely riveting, prodigious wine that has to be tasted to be believed. Drink it over the next 25 years. Carter Cellars has been on a qualitative tear in tastings I’ve done over the last 4-5 years, so it was with great anticipation and high expectations I sat down to taste the 2013s and barrel samples of the 2014s given what Mark Carter had achieved not only in 2012, but even in more challenging vintages such as 2011. Fasten your seatbelts!-RP