Realm Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Beckstoffer To Kalon grapes are made available to a small number of boutique wine producers who fashion them into some of the highest quality wines Napa Valley has to offer. Red and black fruits makes up the sensory profile. An extra dimension is observed upon first sip that has been deemed "baby fat", followed by those powerful tannins the region is known for. Overall opulence but with such class and pedigree.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon is another head-turning wine that defies the vintage. Coming from one of the benchmark sites in all of Napa as well as the world, it sports a deep purple hue as well as awesome notes of ripe black cherries, graphite, flowery incense, and violets. While the vineyard always seems to produce some of the most opulent and extroverted wines in the vintage, this beauty also has considerable elegance, silky tannins, and a great finish. It should continue drinking brilliantly for 20-25+ years or more.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"We had half the fruit in at To Kalon when the fires hit in 2017," winemaker Benoit Touquette informed me. "That's all we used." Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard prances out of the glass with classically opulent scents of crème de cassis, baked plums, Morello cherries and mulberries plus nuances of rose oil, spice cake, bouquet garni and dusty soil. Full-bodied, the palate is decadently showy with loads of exotic spice and floral accents lifting the rich, black fruit preserves flavors. It has a well-judged, solid frame of grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing very long and wonderfully earthy. It seems a more structured style of To Kalon than is typical, so give it another 3-4 years in bottle and enjoy it over the next 30+ years.
Rating: 97+ -
James Suckling
17 Jan, 2020 – A really pretty red with blackberries and spice, hazelnuts and dark chocolate. Full to medium body and medium, fine and velvety tannins. Juicy and flavorful finish. Direct and focused. Racy is the world to describe this. Drink in 2024.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
Parker
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
-
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
Realm Cellars is one of Napa Valley’s most electrifying wine brands with estate vineyards in Stags Leap District, Pritchard Hill and Coombsville. In 2012, owner Scott Becker and his partner, winemaker Benoit Touquette teamed up to revive a nearly bankrupt brand. Since then, Realm has been transformed into one of the most collected wineries in Napa Valley, with a vineyard portfolio that today exemplifies the beauty and longevity of Napa Valley. Making wine at the very highest level is at the core of Realm Cellars. Since 2012, the wines have been awarded more 100-point scores from internationally recognized wine critics than any other producer in Napa Valley.
Formerly the Hartwell Estate, Realm acquired the property in 2015 and began initial construction and development phases of an endeavor that will take decades to realize. In 2022, Realm acquired Nine Suns and Houyi Vineyard in Napa Valley’s famed area, Pritchard Hill. Realm’s portfolio of wines includes estate, single vineyard wines and proprietary blends, unified by a “style” best described as a creative tension between richness and precision, density and finesse, purity of fruit and nuance. In addition to its estate vineyard sites, Realm partners with Napa Valley’s most prestigious and iconic wine growers and vineyard sites, including Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Beckstoffer To Kalon.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.