Carter Cellars Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Tasting Notes
From a great valley floor site in the southern part of the Oakville AVA, this wine shows a deep and profound purple color. Notes of fresh dark fruit, lavender, graphite and rounded spicyoak all leap from the glass. An opulent and full-bodied wine, it shows great balance and a medley of textures on the palate - a mixture of great fruit, rounded ripe tannins and natural acidity that results in a
lengthy finish with a savory quality. This wine is pure pleasure and you will be further rewarded if you cellar this wine for 3 to 5 years.
Saint-Julien-like aromatics of cassis, flowers, graphite, and sweet tobacco all emerge from the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard, another absolutely seamless 2023 from this team that has so much to love. I always find a Bordeaux-like vibe from this site, and this is no exception. With full-bodied richness, a pure, layered, elegant mouthfeel, and ripe, polished tannins, it should drink nicely right out of the gate yet still have a decade of longevity.
98 - 96 Points ~ Jeb Dunnuck Barrel Sample
Map of the Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard
The History of the Missouri Hopper Vineyard
Located north of the town of Yountville in the Oakville AVA, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper was originally part of a large piece of land owned by George C. Yount, from whom the town of Yountville takes its name. Purchased by Charles Hopper and given to his daughter Missouri in 1877, the land was planted to wine grapes and, as much of the Napa land was at that time, prunes and walnuts. In 1960, the land was purchased by Bruce Kelham as part of the historic Vine Hill Ranch. Purchased by Beckstoffer Vineyards from the Kelham family in 1996, the vineyard is today planted with multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon that provide fruit with sweet tannis and an unique and savory profile.
