Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Winemaker Benoit Touquette hit a home run with the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, which is possibly the wine of the vintage. Based mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon from a magical, first growth site just outside of St. Helena, it reveals a deep purple hue as well as powerful notes of blackcurrant liqueur, chocolate, unsmoked tobacco, and gravelly earth. With its full-bodied richness, sweet tannins, and opulent texture, you’d never guess it came from the 2017 vintage. It’s a remarkable achievement for an incredibly talented team. I suspect it might close down with 2-4 years of bottle age, so I’d either try a bottle immediately on release or do your best to hold off for 7-8 years.
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James Suckling
Intense blackberries and iodine with tile and spice. Energetic aromas. Full body. Lead pencil. Stone and black fruit. Tar and licorice. Crushed cement. Chewy, yet pretty. Drink after 2023 and onwards.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr Crane Vineyard does not disappoint. Deep garnet-purple colored, it flies out of the glass with gregarious scents of black cherries, blueberries and boysenberries plus hints of potpourri, sandalwood, Chinese five spice, cast-iron pan and fragrant earth. Characteristically full-bodied, rich and full-on seductive, the palate is packed with generous, perfumed black fruits, supported by firm, ripe tannins and well-knit freshness, finishing mineral-laced and with epic persistence.
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.