Wine reviews
Dark and loamy in feel, with a core of well-steeped plum, fig and black currant fruit that has melded with smoldering tobacco, menthol and warn leather notes. The finish cruises through with authority. Drink now through 2030. 400 cases made. – J.M.
This site continues to produce magical wines. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard showed incredibly well from barrel, and it's a majestic, stunning wine from bottle. Loads of spiced plums, blackcurrants, rare meat, decaying flowers, tobacco, and a whiff of chocolate all soar from the glass, and it has that rare sense of power paired with a sense of weightlessness that this vineyard does so well. Deep, full-bodied, and opulent, it has plenty of tannins, no hard edges, and a monster of a finish. Drink it any time over the coming 20 years or more. – JD
A barrel sample, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard sports a very deep purple-black color and nose of crushed black berries, wild blueberries and cassis with touches of forest floor, iron ore, dried Mediterranean herbs and rare beef. The full-bodied palate is packed solid with fresh black fruit, herbs and exotic spice layers, framed by firm, very fine-grained tannins and seamless acid, finishing with epic persistence. – LPB
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard looks to be even better than the 2015s, yet is made in a very different style and shows slightly more purity and freshness. Toasted spice, incense, dried flowers and assorted dark fruits all emerge from this full-bodied beauty that offers incredible elegance and purity, as well as serious flavor intensity and depth. It's a big wine, no doubt, but it glides over the palate, has silky tannin, loads of sweet fruit and a great finish. It’s a gorgeous wine and stays true to this terrific valley floor site. – JD