Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Haunting aromas of terracotta, blackberries, plums and sweet tobacco. Very complex nose. Full body, super silky tannins, spices and ripe fruit. Ripe and compressed tannins. A reserved finish. More precise. A sensational wine. Cooler and more defined than the 2013. Try in 2021.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard has a very deep garnet-purple color and opens with a wonderfully gregarious, outspoken blackcurrant, black cherries and red rose-laced core with underlying suggestions of Indian spices, mocha and cedar. Big, full-bodied and voluptuous in the mouth, the rich fruit is seductively draped in velvety tannins, texturing the long, spicy finish. 325 cases were made.
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Vinous
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is a beautiful wine. Dark, ample and layered, the 2015 has aged exquisitely. It’s a big wine, but ripeness and oak imprint are totally integrated. Crème de cassis, licorice, menthol and dark chocolate all meld together in the glass. Ripe, elegant tannins pull it all together on the close.
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.