Winemaker Notes
Profound aromatic layers of black fruits, anise, black tea, clove, cinnamon, exotic spices and dark chocolate. Incredibly sumptuous, dense, rich, opulent and viscous with so many textures and layers, svelte, expansive tannins, and a finish that goes on forever. Incredible potential for greatness in the cellar.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is classically structured with a near-perfect center palate of uber-fine tannins that run and run and run through the wine. Full body. Blackberries, black olives and licorice. Extremely long and caressing. Harmony with power. Give it at least four or five years. Better after 2021. Only 100 cases produced.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Black Magic is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Cabernet Franc mostly from the Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard in Oakville. It's deeper colored than the To Kolan and has a denser, more brooding bouquet of blackcurrants, lead pencil, graphite, tobacco, and crushed rocks. Reminding me of a great vintage of Pontet-Canet, it's full-bodied, deep, packed with tannins, and beautifully balanced. It's a remarkable wine in the vintage that will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 30 years or more. Rating: 98+
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
TOR’s barrel selection flagship, the “Magic” blend this year is 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot and 48% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Proprietary Red Black Magic come rolling out of the glass with seductive blackberry pie, creme de cassis and baked plums notes plus suggestions of baking spices, marmite toast, mocha and licorice with just a hint of bouquet garni. Medium to full-bodied, the bright, vibrant palate has a firm frame of ripe grainy tannins and bold freshness, supporting the taut, tightly wound black fruits, finishing on a lingering mineral note.
Rating: 96(+?)
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.