Wines

2023 TOR
Pure Magic Inquire

The 2023 Pure Magic shows immediate notes of warm lilac, violet, lavender and leather aromas, along with back notes of cinnamon and clove, then opens into the fruit spectrum – spiced plum, red currant and black cherry. The hallmark of the wine’s entry is freshness, vibrancy, and depth.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2023 TOR
Black Magic Inquire

The 2023 Black Magic leans toward the darker more brooding end of a wine’s fruit profile. Very complex notes of spiced black plum, cassis, along with hints of cardamom, anise, a sense of petrichor, with notes of bitter chocolate, espresso, and graphite. It’s somehow intense and powerful, yet elegant and lithe on the palate.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2023 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon
Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, BFD, Oakville Inquire

The 2023 To Kalon BFD Cabernet shows the spicier side of To Kalon. Whereas the regular To Kalon Cabernet is more silk/velvet and black fruit, the BFD is more of a spicy/earthy combo of red and black fruits- red cherry, spearmint, dark chocolate, cocoa nibs. It does not have as thick a palate as the regular To Kalon, but has perhaps more layers of fruit and earth. I am a huge fan of baking spices, and this has loads of cinnamon, clove, and cardamom.

2023 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon
Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville Inquire

2024 Oakville Cabernet comes across as a completely different beast than previous vintages. Where past vintages were mostly black fruit, the 2024 vintage is a mix of red and black. The weather conditions in 2024 provided a more mixed profile of the wine, highlighting red cherry, raspberry, bittersweet chocolate, and graphite. The acidity in this vintage provides additional lift and the graphite/mineral profile.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2023 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon
Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, St. Helena Inquire

Anytime somebody says Napa Cabernet all tastes the same, this is my “Hold my beer!” vineyard that I pour a glass of that can only come from Dr. Crane and nowhere else. The nose on Dr. Crane is always super unique with its almost crystallized expression of fruit.  This does not have the intense black fruit that Vine Hill does, and it expresses its red fruit completely differently than To Kalon does. This has spicy raspberry, vibrant rose petal, African spices, dry earth, and dark chocolate. The lift and the freshness on the palate are part of what makes this one so unique. It’s almost as if all the fruit within the wine was given an electric shock. One of those true wines where, if you’ve seen the soil within the vineyard when you try the wine, you can taste the soil.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

• 98 points – International Wine Report
• 95-98 points – Antonio Galloni
• 96-98 points – Wine Advocate

2023 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon
Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard, Oakville Inquire

The 2023 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet is quite possibly my favorite Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet from Tor to date. This year’s version has copious black fruits, a stacked mid-pallet, and has an aromatic profile that I’ve come to associate with the best vintages out of Vine Hill Ranch, which is the slow-smoked bark on a brisket from Texas, Franklin Barbecue. As dense and rich as this wine is, it has remarkable smoothness on the finish and follow-through with more ripe blackberry, black cherry, and just a tiny bit of Dr Pepper. I think the 23 will be like the 2018, where it will be very drinkable on release, but will only get better.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

• 98 points – International Wine Report
• 94-96 points – Antonio Galloni
• 96-98 points – Wine Advocate

2024 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon
Oakville Releases February 2026

The 2023 Oakville Cabernet returns to the darker side of the spectrum for our Oakville cab after the slightly more red profile of 2022. This has tons of spice, clove, and bittersweet chocolate along with just a little bit of that wet, damp earth. On the pallet, it is full weight and shows a little bit of smoked Texas beef brisket, black fruit, and a little bit of soy sauce along with cedary dusty red earth. This is probably most similar to the 2021 Oakville so will be paired best with rich meats (I like it with venison) or just had on its own.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2023 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon
Vaca Ridge Vineyard, Oakville Inquire

The 2023 Vaca Ridge Cabernet offers up a decidedly different aromatic profile than the rest of the 2023 Cabernets. This clearly shows its origins in the eastern Oakville hillside and the red rock iron-rich soils that dominate that side of the valley. This wine shows wet earth, iodine, leather, and cedar. On the palate, this has a much more compressed tannin profile than the wines from the west side of Oakville, with blood orange, Cloves, and black fruits.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2021 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon
Melanson Vineyard, Pritchard Hill Inquire

Our 2021 Melanson has an additional level of richness and a slightly higher level of black fruits over the typical red fruit spectrum that Pritchard Hill typically provides. An amazingly rich and seamless mid to back palate that shows off its mountain terroir. This will be the longest-lived Melanson we have ever made, an homage to the majesty of Pritchard Hill. Deep, dark, and opulent.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

• 98 points – International Wine Report
• 97 points – Jeb Dunnuck
• 96 points – James Suckling
• 96 points – Wine Advocate
• 95 points – Antonio Galloni

2024 TOR Chardonnay
HS, Napa Valley Releases February 2026

The 2024 HS Chardonnay romantically shows more of the Landon/bees wax side of the vintage, along with baked apple pie and honeysuckle. On the palate, this exhibits very full weight and continues on again with lanolin, tangerines, chalk dust, and peach.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2024 TOR Chardonnay
Cuvée Susan, Hyde Vineyard, Carneros Releases February 2026

The 2024 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay continues the string of outstanding vintages out of this vineyard. This wine shows Marcona almonds, subtle French Oak, and a little bit of ginger on the nose. On the palate, this is somehow both intensely rich, while still being incredibly focused, fresh, and vibrant with apple pie, a touch of lemon zest, and stone fruit.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2024 TOR Chardonnay
Cuvée Torchiana, Beresini Vineyard, Carneros Releases February 2026

The 2024 Beresini Vineyard Chardonnay shows a distinct lemon curd/lemon meringue pie profile on the nose, along with sea spray and daisies. On the palate, this wine is medium to full weight with a silky, round middle and hints of honey and apricot. The finish is silky smooth without any rough edges, and for me, just screams to be paired with crab legs.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2022 TOR Chasing Windmills Rhone Blend
Fulldraw Vineyard Inquire

The 2022 Chasing Windmills has a dark garnet/blood red ruby color and shows mint/wet tree bark/loads of marionberry and currants as well as some lingering plum on the finish. This medium/full-weight beauty will benefit from an hour of decanting with more effusive aromatics and a more extended finish.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2018 TOR Old Vines Petite Sirah
Palisades Vineyard, Napa Valley Sold out

The 2018 petite Sirah immediately shows loads of creosote, dark dark black cherries and black raspberry reduction. The palate shows the slightly lifted acidity and structure typical of the 2018 vintage and an amazingly long finish.

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker

2023 TOR Cabernet Franc
Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, St. Helena Inquire

The 2023 Dr. Crane Cabernet Franc shows the classic dried tobacco, earth, and reticence of Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc is never the most forward or plush in youth, but I have always looked at it in terms of what youthful exuberance you give up, you gain so much more on the back end of the wine with complexity and layers as it ages (think Cheval Blanc).

–Jeff Ames, Winemaker