Myriad Cellars Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Elysian Reserve 2016
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Just..drop the mic! The barrel program and vine selection from the most southwestern edge of the Dr. Crane Vineyard make up this game-changing Cabernet Sauvignon. Full of verve and energy, this wine pushes the spectrum of dark, black fruit and spice notes. Hints cigar box, sage and crushed graham cross check all senses. Gorgeous notes of blackberry, dark black raspberry, currants, clove & anise are coupled with black cherry liqueur that explode on the mid palate. A completely captivating floral/rosemary note follows ,touching the edges of your soul. The gravely river bed soils of this vineyard site keep the tension and tannin refined with just enough grip to dig in your heels. While a deep, dense and addictive finish shines twice as long as anything in the Myriad profile. A magnificent expression of this remarkable vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep purple-black colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Elysian gives up intense earthy notes of crushed rocks, iron ore, black truffles and fertile loam to begin, giving way to a stunning array of black fruits and floral scents—crushed black cherries, warm black berries, cassis, red roses and candied violets—with wafts of cigar box and pencil lead in the background. Full-bodied, rich and fantastically flamboyant in the mouth, the decadent fruit slowly grows on the palate to reveal layer upon layer of mineral, earthy and seductively spiced black fruits, finishing very long and wonderfully perfumed. This is Dr. Crane at its finest.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Elysian is the special selection cuvée from this remarkable site in St. Helena. Brought up in new Darnajou and Taransaud barrels, it offers a slightly sweeter style in its crème de cassis and black raspberry fruits, vanilla bean, sweet spice, sandalwood, and dried flower aromas and flavors. It's a rich, powerful, seamless 2016 that has a supple texture, polished tannins, no hard edges, and the balance to evolve gracefully for two decades or more. As with the two cuvées from the Georges III Vineyard, the special selection is more open and complex, with a slightly sweeter profile. While I'm not convinced the special cuvées in 2016 are better wines, they're certainly different, and if presented with a choice between the two, the correct answer is "yes." There were 225 cases produced.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
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Robert
Parker
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.
St. Helena is in the heart of the Napa Valley, nestled between Calistoga to the north and Rutherford on its southern border. On its western side, the Mayacamas Mountains guard it from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean; to its east stand the Vaca Mountains. In conjunction, these mountain ranges serve to lock in summer daytime heat. But in the evening, cool air from the San Pablo Bay funnels up through the valley, creating very chilly nights. It isn’t uncommon for temperatures to drop 50 degrees, a shift that promotes a balance of sugar ripeness and acidity in wine grapes.
St. Helena contains a plethora of different soil types in a small area, which have been enhanced over centuries by rain runoff from both mountain ranges. Its vineyards cover a variety of terrain, spreading across the bucolic valley floor and its benchlands.
These ideal topographic and climatic growing conditions easily caught the attention of early winemaking pioneers. In fact, St. Helena is the birthplace of Napa Valley’s commercial wine industry. Dr. Crane founded his cellar in 1859, David Fulton in 1860 and Charles Krug in 1861.
Today there are no less than 400 separate vineyards planted within the 12,000 acres that make up the St. Helena appellation.
Revered most for its red wines based on Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, the St. Helena appellation is also a source of superior Syrah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc.