Investment Grade

wines

A perfect wine, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard comes from an incredible site just outside of St. Helena that excelled in 2023. Aged 22 months in 70% new French oak, it delivers a truly special bouquet of cassis, scorched earth, Asian spices, and graphite. Full-bodied and incredibly concentrated, it has ripe, building tannins and massive mid-palate depth, yet it carries its power with striking precision and balance. This is a sensational 2023 with thrilling intensity and a seamless elegance that just keeps you coming back to the glass. Give it 4-5 years in the cellar and expect two decades of longevity. Drink 2029-2049.Jeb Dunnuck | 100 JDFrom Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, the grapes underwent extended maceration for up to 28 days, followed by fermentation in stainless steel, then 22 months of ageing in 65-85% new French oak. This is always an early block for the winery, notes winemaker Jennifer Porembski. The wine is vivid and aromatically pitch-perfect for Cabernet Sauvignon, offering pure black cherry and blackberry lifted by sagebrush, a touch of capsicum, and the graphite-stony minerality that defines Dr. Crane. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, with generous warm berry fruit framed by expressive, fine-grained, powdery tannins that linger and build through an extraordinarily long finish. Deep dark berry fruit carries the length, marrying power and elegance in a classic expression of the variety from this exceptional site. Fresh and crunchy, it has the structure and vitality to cellar comfortably for three or four deCades, with blending typically taking place closer to bottling. Arrow&Branch was established in 2008 after Steve Contursi and Seanne Contursi purchased Tony Soter’s Little Creek Vineyard, approximately 2.4 hectares in Coombsville, in 2007; the winery is located in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, west of Highway 29, with Jennifer Williams serving as winemaker and Michael Wolf as viticulturist.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECBrooding aromas of blood plums, black currants, licorice, graphite, salted beef and tobacco. The palate is densely packed with real depth of fruit, supported by melting yet firm tannins and mouthwatering acidity. This typifies a warm site in a cool vintage, with savory and mineral nuances balancing the dark fruit. Made from 100% 337 clone vines that are 35 years old, bringing depth and purity. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane is a classic wine from this St. Helena site. Silky tannins and floral aromatics wrap around a core of red/purplish fruit. Medium in body and pliant, with tons of site character, the Crane is a total delight.Vinous Media | 96 VM

Crème de cassis, lead pencil, graphite, spice, and floral notes all emerge from the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, which comes from two parcels in To Kalon and spent 22 months in 85% new French oak. Made by Jennifer Williams, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is full-bodied, deep, and layered, with a seamless profile, stunning mid-palate depth, and extraordinary length. It is a virtually perfect wine that already delivers incredible purity and richness yet has the structure to evolve gracefully for at least two decades. Drink 2030-2055.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThis is about as good as cabernet sauvignon gets in a cool, refined vintage from the famed To Kalon Vineyard. There is so much depth and intensity, yet no fat whatsoever. Aromas of black and blue fruit with spices, dried flowers, earth, wet stones, licorice, bay laurel and cedar. The palate is taut and focused, with a silky mouthfeel and tannins that melt on the palate. An exceptional bottling of New World cab that can rival the very best. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSFrom Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, this wine combines Clone 4 (older block) and Clone 7 (vines roughly 10 years old), picked 10 days apart. Fermentation took place in stainless steel, followed by 22 months of ageing in 85% new French oak. Kudos to winemaker Jennifer Williams for her meticulous work alongside the Beckstoffer Vineyard crew – she is in the vineyard weekly, and every couple of days during harvest. This is a top-shelf wine. It is beautifully coiled, compact, and structured, showing a mix of red and black fruit, deep dark-berry character, and ironstone-laced minerality. The tannins soar – pixelated, expansive, broad, and endlessly building into an everlasting finish. Dynamic and refined, this is a striking expression of To Kalon. Porembski has mastered how to work this site, from vineyard to barrel program, and the result is a wine that thrills on release yet has the freshness and structure to cellar for deCades. Steve and Seanne Contursi purchased Tony Soter’s Little Creek Vineyard (about 2.4 hectares) in Coombsville in 2007, establishing Arrow&Branch in 2008.Decanter Magazine | 98 DECThe 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon is fabulous. Aromatic and transparent, with striking finesse, the To Kalon dazzles from start to finish. Deceptively medium in body, the 2023 is seriously impressive. Cool blue/purplish-toned fruit, lavender, licorice, spice and gravel soar from the glass. What a wine!Vinous Media | 97 VM

The 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Vixen Block Wildfoote Vineyard represents the last vintage Bevan received fruit from the site, following the purchase of the property by Shafer Vineyards. It’s a fitting send-off, delivering seamless, complex swirls of purple raspberries, fine suede and lovely floral notes. Full-bodied yet silky, it’s framed by fine-grained tannins, which wash gently across the long, generous finish. The wine neatly captures the complexity and textures of the Stags Leap District, wrapping the tannins in an elegant final bow.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPMore blue fruits, crème de cassis, liquid violets, and scorched earth, as well as a beautiful floral character, define the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard Vixen Block. It’s a full-bodied Cabernet with fine, polished tannins, flawless overall balance, and a blockbuster of a finish. This ripe, sexy wine still plays in the fresher, focused style of the vintage and is good for 20-25 years of prime drinking. Drink 2025-2050.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard Vixen Block is inky, deep and pliant. Rich blue fruit, licorice, spice, menthol and lavender are all dialed up in this unctuous, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from Russell Bevan. This is classic Stags Leap, done in a decidedly extroverted style. Sweet floral notes explode on the captivating finish.Vinous Media | 97 VM

The 2023 Dominus is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot. Opaque purple-black in color, it slowly unfurls to reveal a powerful core of blackcurrant jelly, ripe black plums, and fresh blueberries, followed by hints of menthol, crushed rocks, dried sage, black truffles, and black olives. The full-bodied palate is both generous and energetic, displaying an impressive array of savory and earthy nuances among the dense black fruit layers and a rock-solid frame of grainy tannins and beautiful tension, finishing with epic length.The Wine Palate | 100 TWPThe aromatics are a little more contained than the Napanook, knitted down with savoury incense and charred sandalwood, and a texture that even visually is rich and supple. Through the palate, things move slowly and deliberately, tobacco, musk, ocean spray, iris, with layers of sweet red liquorice, olive tapenade, latte, crushed rocks, broth, cranberry, just a beautifully crafted wine that is so enticing you could drink it now, but that promises to reward long ageing. 40% new oak, Tod Mostero winemaker, Christian Moueix owner. A late harvest from October 7-18.Jane Anson | 100 JABased on 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot and aged 20 months in 40% new French oak, the 2023 Dominus is absolutely gorgeous, with an incredible level of purity and refinement. Cassis, graphite, crushed stone, melted crayons, and floral nuances all define the aromatics. It’s medium to full-bodied, with seamless, refined elegance, ultra-fine tannins, beautiful mid-palate depth, and outstanding length. This more charming, forward, and seductive style of Dominus will offer incredible appeal over the next 20-25 years or more. Drink 2025-2050.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2023 Dominus is a very pretty, surprisingly open-knit wine from this estate. Soft contours wrap around a core of pliant red/purplish fruit. Lavender, rose petal and gently spiced overtones caress the mid-palate and finish. I expect the 2023 will drink well with minimal cellaring, something that is rarely the case here.Vinous Media | 96 VM

The Togni family’s grand vin from the 2023 vintage is a magical young cabernet sauvignon. As is family tradition here, the wine’s octane is not listed on the label, but I would bet it is below 13.5 percent. The bouquet is quite similar to their 2023 Tanbark Hill, albeit with more depth and purity, as it wafts from the glass in a nascently complex blend of cassis, dark berries, coffee bean, cigar wrapper, a beautiful foundation of Spring Mountain soil, incipient smokiness, a touch of currant leaf and a refined framing of cedary new oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, seamlessly balanced and rock solid at the core, with great soil signature, firm, beautifully integrated tannins, great grip and a very, very long, impeccably balanced, refined and utterly stunning young finish. This year the wine’s cépages is eighty-two percent cabernet sauvignon, fifteen percent merlot, two percent cabernet franc and one percent petit verdot. All of the varieties were co-fermented and the wine was raised in forty percent new casks this year. This is a simply perfect young cabernet sauvignon. (Drink between 2050-2120)John Gilman | 100 JGThe 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is outrageously beautiful. Graphite, lavender, crushed rocks, menthol and dark spice emerge with great reluctance. Then again, the 2023 was bottled just a few months before this tasting. It’s a vivid, explosive Cabernet that will need at least a few years to be at its most expressive. Poor set lowered yields by about 25%, resulting in an unusually potent wine here. Captivating.Vinous Media | 98 VMA classic Napa red with aromas of red and black currants, bark and dark mushrooms. Medium-bodied with firm and creamy tannins and a fresh finish. Chocolate on the palate. Drinkable now if you decant it, but made for aging.James Suckling | 98 JS

A new wine in this range, the 2024 Pinot Noir Pacific Rock emerges from McDougall, a well-known site in Fort Ross-Seaview. Bold and explosive, the 2024 possesses tremendous textural depth and intensity. Dark-toned fruit, new leather, cedar, cloves, menthol and licorice fill out the layers. This imposing, broad-scaled Pinot has a lot to offer. There’s a bit of toughness in the tannin that needs to be addressed, but this is nevertheless a very fine debut. I expect the Pacific Rock will continue to improve now that the vineyard is being transitioned to organic farming, a process that takes 7-10 years to show full results.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Spellbinding aromas of rose petals, strawberries, citrus and bark, with hints of lemongrass. Medium-bodied, tight and structured, this offers a captivating combination of linear intensity and calmness, so classy and sophisticated. A continued benchmark for American pinot noir. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2024 Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert is fabulous. Deeply pitched spice notes, blood orange, new leather, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco meld into a core of sweet red cherry fruit, mint, spice and cedar. This is one of the finest vintages of the Royal St. Robert I have ever tasted, going all the way back to Raen’s early days.Vinous Media | 94 VM