Beckstoffer To Kalon is possibly Napa Valley’s most iconic vineyard, in part due to the number of 100-point wines that have carried its vineyard designation. Napa pioneer Hamilton Crabb first planted the historical vineyard in 1868, and it was acquired by Andy Beckstoffer in 1993, who championed the concept of vineyard-designated wines. The rest is history. READ MORE
The vineyard lies on the western boundary of the Oakville Appellation. Running through the middle and west side of the vineyard are remnants of ancient streambeds riddled with rock, which provides exceptional drainage – ideal habitat for Cabernet Sauvignon. Over the last two decades, we have accumulated 11 blocks in this coveted vineyard, with two rare blocks of Cabernet Franc. We consider each block First Growth quality.
Our 2023 To Kalon spent 29 days fermenting on the skins. This extra time allowed the tannins to soften and integrate. After a gentle basket pressing, the wine matured for twenty months in a combination of Darnajou and Taransaud French oak barrels, 80% in new oak. It was essential to taste at every stage of the winemaking process, as many decisions were made based purely on experience and intuition. This wine was bottled without fining or filtration, allowing for maximum development of mouthfeel and texture.
The 2022 To Kalon Cabernet continues the absurd run of great wines out of this vineyard since we got in there in 2005 (minus 2020, of course). The 2023 has perhaps a little bit more black fruit in it than it typically does because of how late the vintage was and how cold the vintage was, but it still has the shading of red fruit that is so classic in this vineyard. This has the aromatics that kind of remind me of the classic wines from the mid-70s in Napa, where you have a bit of umami as well as earth allied to the powerful fruit. On the palate, this is all silk and polish. There was not a hard edge to be found anywhere on this wine, from the beginning to the end, it’s completely round and seamless.
I quote my friend Karen MacNeil, wine historian, author of the Wine Bible, “2023 was as perfect as any Napa vintage in living memory. It was Napa’s 1961 Bordeaux.” I remember the 1961 Bordeaux wines well, first tasting most of the First Growths in the 1970s. They were very structured wines, wines that did take a little time to find their “perfect” stride, and when they did, they were wines you never forgot. Across the board, the TOR 2023 wines are instant classics.
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