Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Just about perfection in a glass, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is another straight-up fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon from this great, great vintage. From a valley floor site just south of To Kalon, it offers La Mission Haut Brion-like notes of tobacco, lead pencil, and cold fireplace as well as sensational cassis fruit, full body, building tannins, and a deep, layered, sexy texture that needs to be tasted to be believed. It has the purity and elegance that make 2016 special yet also offers density, depth, and opulence. Don’t miss it!
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very deep garnet-black in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard charges out of the glass with bold, expressive blueberry compote, black cherries, crème de cassis and hoisin notes with hints of Chinese five spice, dusty soil, licorice and camphor with a waft of smoked meats. Full-bodied with a gorgeous plush texture and seamless freshness, the palate is laden with black fruit and exotic spice layers, finishing very long and very fragrant.
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James Suckling
A big and very rich red with so much fruit and intensity. Plums and blueberries. Dried dirt. Full body and chewy, polished tannins. Muscular and flexing. Needs two or three years to soften.
Over thirty years in the making, Amici Cellars is a blend of the old and the new. Preserving its legacy and producing wines of exceptional character is the unwavering commitment of proprietors John Harris and Bob Shepard, who attribute success in large part to the age-old adage “nothing replaces hard work,” but also their intuition and ability to capture the most significant opportunity in a decisive moment.
The turning point was 2009, when after more than 15 years of making wine as a passion project with modest distribution, the two friends fully committed to taking their adventure and turning it into a prestigious Napa Valley winemaking estate. The United States was facing the biggest economic downturn since the 1930s, costly Cabernets no longer flying off shelves, but John and Bob have always trusted in their intuition and a core belief - bottle beautiful, high quality wines that are accessible to enjoy every day and for age-worthy collections.
They have decidedly chosen a talented team, seasoned winemaker Tony Biagi, a Napa Valley veteran with more than 25-years-experience, and associate winemaker Dante West, a rising star whose energy matches his true-to-varietal wines. Together they bring decades of relationships with outstanding growers in the field that, combined with their craftsmanship, creates the best possible capsule of each vineyard site, a combination of the soil, climate and people who farm it.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.