Wine reviews

January 2019

The final three wines were all tasted as barrel samples. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard, from a valley floor site in Oakville, offers a mammoth-sized bouquet of black fruits, roasted tobacco, chocolate, graphite, and dried flowers. Just thrillingly textured, massive, and concentrated, it stays light and balanced on the palate, with silky tannins. This is a ripe, incredibly sexy wine that's not for those craving lightweight aromas and flavors. Count me in as a fan. It’s going to have two decades or more of longevity, yet it will also drink well in its youth. – JD