Winemaker Notes
In 2015 Andy Beckstoffer invited us into a new vineyard block of the famed Vineyard Georges III. Slight rises and gentle slopes can make a enormous difference with valley floor water drainage and vine stress. The Empyrean block sits atop one of these rises, allowing 365 degree ripening, amphitheater sun exposure, coupled with coveted valley floor soil drainage. Harvested 11 days earlier than our Myriad Georges III ‘F block’, this wine was fermented separately and thoughtfully placed into our top French Oak barrels for 22 months. Velvet and silky tannins envelope all senses. Something about Mike Smith style and Rutherford blue fruit sent this wine soaring to the realm of Empyrean. Exciting and Spectacular! Enjoy.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A new cuvee that's a three-barrel selection chosen for their elegance and purity, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Empyrean offers a seamless, ethereal texture that's just a joy to drink. Cassis, black cherries, graphite, vanilla and flower notes give way to a full-bodied effort that has gorgeous tannin quality and a great finish. It's the balance and purity that sets this apart and while terrific today, it will be even better in 3-5 years and shine for two decades or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Empyrean is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard. It has an inky purple-black color with a nose of crème de cassis, blueberry pie and mocha with hints of cedar, fragrant earth, violets and crushed rocks. Full, concentrated, firm and muscular in the mouth, it has grainy tannins and finishes lively, long and earthy.
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.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.