Wine reviews
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon NOMAD Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard comes from a Grand Cru site just outside of St. Helena and spent 22 months in 90% new French oak. This dense purple-hued effort offers a thrilling perfume of black fruits (blackberries, currants) supported by tons of gravelly earth, smoked tobacco, and darker chocolate. It's rich, full-bodied, and incredibly concentrated, with sweet tannins and a fabulous finish. It's another heavenly 2021 that will benefit from just a few years in the cellar and evolve for two decades. - J.D.
This delivers a gorgeous burst of boysenberry and blackberry pâte de fruit notes that neatly race along thanks to their inner freshness, while strips of licorice and ganache mix in alongside violet, iris and apple wood accents. There's a terrific sense of succulence amid the density. Best from 2025 through 2045. 200 cases made. - J.M.