Wine reviews
I considered rating the 2021 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard one point higher, and this is a tour de force that I wish I could pour for every reader. Absolutely classic varietal notes of red and blue fruits, spring flowers, graphite, and crushed stone-like minerality define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and incredible length on the finish. It's perfectly ripe (not over-ripe or under-ripe), has laser-like precision, and awesome purity. It's a true wow expression of this variety.
Lower yields and perfect ripening in the 2021 vintage led to an ideal rendition of Jean Hoefliger's Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc. Year after year, tasting these wines, I find the Beckstoffer Cabernet Franc wines deliver a complete expression from the site, combining both the floral and super ripe fruit-driven qualities you'd expect from Beckstoffer farming, which naturally aims to highlight the mineral-rich underpinnings of these heritage sites. Those mineral tones are very present in this wine, framed by structured tannins backed by a vein of vivid acidity. This 2021 nails it in spades. Intensely perfumed, layering in all kinds of red, black, and blue-toned fruits, which will all meld together with time. The palate is balanced, medium to full-bodied, with refined tannins that are perfectly ripe and have a crispness to them. The finish lasts well over a minute, folds in cedarwood spices and sandalwood, and those perfumed rose petal notes linger well into the next sip—a tremendous effort for the cellar. – JC