Winemaker Notes
For 130 years, To Kalon Vineyard has produced complex, long-lived Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The highly extracted flavors, velvety tannins and exquisite balance of our 1999 To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon are the signature of this historic vineyard's old vines and unique terroir. Combining power and elegance, the wine unfolds in layers of black cherry, black raspberry, minerals, earth and cedar. The flavors and texture are rich and multi-layered; the finish is long and velvety. Gentle hand crafting, including natural clarification through barrel to barrel racking, and aging in new French chateau barrels wove warm spice nuances through the opulent layers of dark fruit.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Oaky. A bit backward, closed. Lots of primary fruit varietal character in the aroma. Coffee, smoke, ash, cedar. In the mouth, potent blackcurrants, cassis, massive middle. Wonderful tannins, rich, ripe, sweet. The finish is long and intense.
Editors' Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon To-Kalon Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine boasts an excellent texture, although the finish is austere. Sweet black currant and blackberry fruit are wrapped with subtle oak and a weedy, tobacco herbaceousness. It is deep, dense, full-bodied, and impressively textured as well as concentrated. However, the high tannin profile suggests it should be cellared for 4-5 years; it will last 20-25 years.
Range: 90-92 -
Wine Spectator
Complex aromas of mint, dried currant, fresh earth, roasted coffee and mineral give this an unusually complex and distinctive array of flavors. Full-bodied, firm and well-structured, hitting a nice drinking stage. Ends with subtlety and finesse.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.