Winemaker Notes
The Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet Sauvignon has notes of blue fruit and graphite, a mineral character, electric intensity and freshness.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr Crane Vineyard is opaque purple-black colored, prancing out of the glass with vibrant notions of blueberry preserves, black cherry compote and blackcurrant cordial, plus nuances of pencil lead, tapenade, violets, mocha and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, featuring very firm, fine, densely pixilated Dr. Crane tannins and bold freshness supporting layer upon layer of crunchy black berries and minerals, featuring a firework display of fragrant earth and floral notes on the long, long, long finish. Right up there with Napa Valley’s greatest, this is going to be a legendary wine. Give it a good 5-7 years to really fan out and drink it over the next 30 years+.
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James Suckling
Plums and spices with cinnamon and lavender. Lead pencil, too. Medium-bodied and compact palate with cashmere tannins that are long and fresh. Reserved and layered in a subtle way. Drinkable now, but better in 2026.
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.