Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon - 'The Grand Daddy' 2012
Tasting Notes
Due to perfectly balanced yields and just the amount of hang time, this To Kalon block produced exceptional wines in 2012. These old vine clone 4 vines render our most elegant wine from this vineyard, but just like great Bordeaux, this elegance is wrapped up in a cloak of raw but refined power. Crème de cassis, licorice, tobacco and spice cake aromas mingle with a lavish multi-layered wine, offering an enormous mid-palate accented by natural acidity. The wine offers a sensational amount of ripeness and texture along with generous tannins which leaves an impression of a wine that carries both old and new world characteristics. Allow this wine to age more than other To Kalon bottlings before consuming - it will benefit from a long decant or 8-10 years in the cellar.
"Another killer effort is the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard The Three Kings. It’s splitting hairs at this level of quality, but this cuvée achieved 14.8% natural alcohol compared to its siblings’ 14.9%. You certainly can’t tell that in the glass. In fact, you would be hard pressed to believe it was over 13% given the wealth of fruit and layered texture. Abundant blue and black fruit, licorice, graphite and spice notes are present in this beautiful Pauillac-like Napa Valley wine. Full-bodied and opulent, this is another big-time winner from Carter Cellars."
96 Points ~ Robert Parker
Map of the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
The History of the To Kalon Vineyard
The Beckstoffer portion of the historic original To Kalon Vineyard in the Oakville AVA was purchased from Beaulieu Vineyard in 1993. Beaulieu had purchased the property from the Crabb estate in 1940 and called it their Beaulieu Vineyard No. 4. Napa Pioneer Hamilton Crabb first planted the vineyard in 1868 and it has produced some of the Napa Valley's best red grapes ever since. Replanted after phylloxera by Beckstoffer from 1994 to 1997 to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with modern trellising and closer vine spacing, the vineyard produces several luxury award winning vineyard designated wines. These vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon wines include Schrader Cellars, Paul Hobbs, Provenance, Realm and of course, Carter Cellars.
