Winemaker Notes
At the foot of Spring Mountain in the St. Helena AVA lies the Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard - a site renowned for its naturally low yields and well draining soil. These slightly younger vines are closer to Sulphur Springs and sit on slightly more rocky and well draining soil. Like a smack in the face, 'La BAM', boasts a full rich bold palate of crushed rock, wet gravel, red and blackberry fruits matched with chocolate and cedar undertones. With a slightly more fruit forward profile, the wine is balanced with rounded yet intense tannins that brilliantly frame this phenomenal wine.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The very deep purple-black colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard La Bam comes sashaying out of the glass with provocative chocolate-covered cherries, crème de cassis, dried mulberries and fresh blueberries scents plus hints of potpourri, underbrush, sassafras, cedar chest and tobacco leaf. Full-bodied and so multilayered in the mouth it makes your head spin, the palate features very ripe, very fine-grained tannins and superb freshness, finishing with awesome length and depth.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras La BAM is the same clone 4 as the La Verdad but comes from the middle section of the Las Piedras Vineyard where the vines are slightly less stressed. It offers a softer, fruit forward style as well as a smoking nose of black (and some blue) fruits, graphite, camphor, crushed, rocks, chocolate, and spice. It's a very different expression of this vineyard and is full-bodied, plush, sexy, and undeniably more charming than the Verdad cuvée. It just sings with time in the glass and is a brilliant Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the coming 15-20 years.
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.