Wine reviews
Bold açaí berry, boysenberry compote notes give this a showy profile, with freshness and definition to match, as anise, violet and black tea details chime in. Graphite hints gird the finish, achieving balance in the end. Best from 2021 through 2035. 1,112 cases made. – JM
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard comes from another Beckstoffer-owned vineyard, purchased from Beaulieu in 1993. This larger site is located on the western side of Oakville, with the Beckstoffers owning a key tenderloin section encompassing just over 80 acres. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon offers a sweet bouquet of black cherry cake, incense, crème de cassis, and chocolate. Beautifully concentrated, with terrific tannins and full-bodied richness and depth, it’s another 2016 that will benefit from short-term cellaring. – JD
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS gives beautiful scents of lilacs and dried lavender over wild blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry pie and eucalyptus with a touch of pencil shavings. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a solid frame of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to lift the densely packed, muscular fruit, finishing very long. – LPB
One of the more opulent, sexy wines in the lineup, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS boasts a deep purple color and a huge, sweet nose of blue fruits, white flowers, cassis, and spice. This fullbodied 2016 has incredible purity of fruit, a rich, layered texture, no sense of weight or heaviness, and sweet tannin. It’s going to flirt with perfection on release and cruise for 20+ years. – JD