I have always loved what winemaker, Chris Tynan, has done with this vineyard, and at a fair price. I gave this a splash decant, then back in the bottle ahead of a trip downtown for dinner- so 90 -120 minutes slow ox.
This is a dense, dark purple wine, took a bit of swirling in the glass to bring out the cassis and blueberry and spring flowers aromas. dense black and blue fruits follow on the palate, layered with bitter chocolate, minerals and cigar box. The oak seemed unusually prominent in this bottle, and clipped the finish - something that I have never experienced with other vintages of this
A nice mid weight expression of To Kalon, but the 2013 lacks the lushness of fruit of the 2012. I would estimate that this wine is at, or slightly passed its peak, for my palate, although RP felt that this would peak in a few more years
consistent with notes of 7/28/2023 - side by side with the Lewis Hillstone Vineyard of the same year, this was the more artful wine with real delineation of flavor and structure (the Lewis was a joy as well, but basically all power).
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WOTN, even though it did not benefit from the long decant granted the Morlet and Paive Macquin . Powerful blackberry and blueberry, balanced with floral and licorice notes. In a great drinking window now.
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Opened this at an earlier than usual age (for me) based on guidance from some who think that To Kalon wines often perform best in their youth
Decanted
At 30-60 min tight and tannic - though the potential could be appreciated. At 2.5 hours this wine hits its stride and is excellent.
Dark purple color
Nose is black raspberries and chocolate
On the palate there is chocolate covered cherry and black raspberry. Delicious but not overly complex. The finish is long.
Even at 3+ hours the tannin is still prominent and I think this will be better in 3-5 years and will drink nicely for 10-15 beyond that.
There is a lot of fruit here, but the style is not over the top/flamboyant/hedonistic. It is more toward the structured/elegant end of the spectrum which is wonderful.
The big question for me is one of value. Perhaps $250 is what it costs to get a wine of this quality in 2023...maybe that's even a good deal given what other Beckstoffer To Kalon wines go for. Or maybe I am getting old because I just expect a bit more of a special experience at that price...93+
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Serious business here, with a dark and gravelly profile that strikes both chiseled and black sappy chords. This could use another year or three to fully resolve and unwind, but with a decent decant, it’s close to where it needs to be. Finishes with a slight clenching, but the stricter frame relaxes enough to allow the fruit to appropriately roll in.
This is definitely a more stern interpretation of To Kalon, which I most appreciate for its well-honed focus and class. This is not a phat and gushing Oakville baked bomb, and instead shows a compacted contour. More comparatively Macdonald than Realm, for example.
Drink now with a judicious decant or hold for a couple of years. 95-96+ points.
Exceptional wine. The aroma is wonderful. Its has nicely integrated tannins along with opulent fruit. Near perfect. Expensive but I have to buy more so I guess that means its worth it. This is probably the best wine I have had thus far but I have many frontiers to yet explore. It is delicious, balanced, complex, and ethereal. I also think this is just now ready to drink so it will most likely be even better in a couple years. Hats off to Cliff Lede. Also, thank you to Mother Earth for giving us Napa Valley. I do think this will be ready for action in 5 to 10 years so let it rest...
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Much more ready to drink now compared to when this was first released. Fruit and tannins much more integrated. Still young, but approachable with a couple hours of air.
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Tasted after a more mature '07 Paul Hobbs To Kalon, which was not fair. This was closed, tannic and thin in comparison. Great elements, but clearly not ready.
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Liked this a touch better than the 2013 Realm Farella I had along side this as this one was more "together" than the Farella at this stage but not sure its long term potential is as high. This had very deep but refined dark fruits with tons of complexity. Long finish driven by fine but dusty tannins with notes of bitter chocolate, cigar box, charcoal and earth. Big difference with this wine depending on how much you swirl in your mouth -- need that to bring out the complexity. Best with food or chocolate at this stage. Needs long decant.
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Labor Day weekend tasting notes (Mostly at home): Absolutely loved this on release, but it is quite tight right now. Significantly better on day 2. I would not open this at all right now, but if you must, pop the cork and let breathe for 24 hours. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, some graphite and spice. With air some dark cherries. On the palate, a fair amount of oak and firm tannins. With air there is a lot of fruit, but not initially. It is always deep, tightly wound and complex. Long finish. Gorgeous wine on Day 2, but on day one, maybe a 91 pointer. That's good but this is not cheap. I should have waited a bit. Oh well.
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This wine is a real beauty. Similar notes to last time, except it is integrating more and not quite as broad shouldered, but still massive. Tons of Rutherford Dust and wave after wave of opulent powerful fruit, brought to your pallet with some finesse and exceptional complexity. Incredible purity and the best flavor profile Napa has to offer IMO. Beautiful long finish and not at all over done.
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2013 Mostly cabs but some other stuff too (GHT): This also got two votes for WOTN. I teetered on giving this 100 but if I had to teeter, it didn't get it though I am not sure why. I had high hopes for this and it exceeded them. The bottle was opened at 10AM and allowed to breathe. The nose has cassis and blueberries with cedar and spice. On the palate, this is a powerful masculine styled wine. Its a bruiser. Lots of cassis, some blueberries as well on the palate. A bit of cedar but very clean and young. It is above all though, just delicious. Probably the most delicious wine on the table. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. My first time trying this wine, it makes me wonder if perhaps the Poetry is worth the $300 per bottle if it is better than this.
Had at Mastro's alongside a '12 Fairchild Sigaro. This was splash decanted for about 45min at the restaurant and imbibed over the next 2hrs. No formal notes, just a few thoughts for memory. The nose is an outstanding mix of cassis, licorice and black fruit. You can smell BTK right away. I love that you can barely taste any oak. In line with the '13 vintage, this is a big, powerful, concentrated beast. As parker says, it is multidimensional with great purity. That said, it came with nice structure and layering, which leads me to believe it has the potential to evolve into something really great with some age. I'd suggest laying these down for at least another year, as right now it is a bit disjointed and needs time to come together. Same score as the '12 Sigaro for vastly different reasons. This one probably has more potential. 94+
Oh so young and Oh so great. You can drink 'em now buy why not wait until they get even better. 10-20 more years of life easy. No hiding this is a great Cali Cab that is very Insignia like. Great cassis flavors that are very fruit forward at the moment but the tannins are in the right place with little oak to get in the way of anything. Stunning bottle.
3/31/2024 - WineKnut Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted off of fine grained sediment for 2 hours before placement back in the bottle for serving.
Concentrated and crystal clear. Showing just a touch of age.
Leaping from the decanter as it's poured from the bottle. Complete.
Supple and powerful at the same time. Perfect? Surely very close.
Overall, this may one of the best Napa wines I've ever tasted. At the right place 10 years plus from vintage.
Early front runner for wine of the year.
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1/28/2024 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 94 Points
I have always loved what winemaker, Chris Tynan, has done with this vineyard, and at a fair price. I gave this a splash decant, then back in the bottle ahead of a trip downtown for dinner- so 90 -120 minutes slow ox.
This is a dense, dark purple wine, took a bit of swirling in the glass to bring out the cassis and blueberry and spring flowers aromas. dense black and blue fruits follow on the palate, layered with bitter chocolate, minerals and cigar box. The oak seemed unusually prominent in this bottle, and clipped the finish - something that I have never experienced with other vintages of this
A nice mid weight expression of To Kalon, but the 2013 lacks the lushness of fruit of the 2012. I would estimate that this wine is at, or slightly passed its peak, for my palate, although RP felt that this would peak in a few more years
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1/19/2024 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 96 Points
consistent with notes of 7/28/2023 - side by side with the Lewis Hillstone Vineyard of the same year, this was the more artful wine with real delineation of flavor and structure (the Lewis was a joy as well, but basically all power).
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12/3/2023 - jkwoodward Likes this wine: 96 Points
Enjoyed with the Lyon’s on an epic night, soft tannins and perfect fruit and silky structure. Ready anytime but has some years left.
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8/31/2023 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 96 Points
consistent with prior notes
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7/28/2023 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 96 Points
WOTN, even though it did not benefit from the long decant granted the Morlet and Paive Macquin . Powerful blackberry and blueberry, balanced with floral and licorice notes. In a great drinking window now.
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6/9/2023 - Ruby99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened this at an earlier than usual age (for me) based on guidance from some who think that To Kalon wines often perform best in their youth
Decanted
At 30-60 min tight and tannic - though the potential could be appreciated. At 2.5 hours this wine hits its stride and is excellent.
Dark purple color
Nose is black raspberries and chocolate
On the palate there is chocolate covered cherry and black raspberry. Delicious but not overly complex. The finish is long.
Even at 3+ hours the tannin is still prominent and I think this will be better in 3-5 years and will drink nicely for 10-15 beyond that.
There is a lot of fruit here, but the style is not over the top/flamboyant/hedonistic. It is more toward the structured/elegant end of the spectrum which is wonderful.
The big question for me is one of value. Perhaps $250 is what it costs to get a wine of this quality in 2023...maybe that's even a good deal given what other Beckstoffer To Kalon wines go for. Or maybe I am getting old because I just expect a bit more of a special experience at that price...93+
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2/9/2022 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
Serious business here, with a dark and gravelly profile that strikes both chiseled and black sappy chords. This could use another year or three to fully resolve and unwind, but with a decent decant, it’s close to where it needs to be. Finishes with a slight clenching, but the stricter frame relaxes enough to allow the fruit to appropriately roll in.
This is definitely a more stern interpretation of To Kalon, which I most appreciate for its well-honed focus and class. This is not a phat and gushing Oakville baked bomb, and instead shows a compacted contour. More comparatively Macdonald than Realm, for example.
Drink now with a judicious decant or hold for a couple of years. 95-96+ points.
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5/9/2021 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
An excellent cab. Still needs lots of air. Opened 90 minutes early, aerated into glass, needed even more than that.
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3/13/2020 - Kdickson wrote:
RP 99
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11/3/2019 - zylmanj Likes this wine: 97 Points
Exceptional wine. The aroma is wonderful. Its has nicely integrated tannins along with opulent fruit. Near perfect. Expensive but I have to buy more so I guess that means its worth it. This is probably the best wine I have had thus far but I have many frontiers to yet explore. It is delicious, balanced, complex, and ethereal. I also think this is just now ready to drink so it will most likely be even better in a couple years. Hats off to Cliff Lede. Also, thank you to Mother Earth for giving us Napa Valley. I do think this will be ready for action in 5 to 10 years so let it rest...
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6/7/2019 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Much more ready to drink now compared to when this was first released. Fruit and tannins much more integrated. Still young, but approachable with a couple hours of air.
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11/14/2018 - ettalovesgoodwine wrote:
Not ready
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3/25/2018 - KeithSurg wrote: 92 Points
Tasted after a more mature '07 Paul Hobbs To Kalon, which was not fair. This was closed, tannic and thin in comparison. Great elements, but clearly not ready.
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11/27/2017 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 96 Points
Liked this a touch better than the 2013 Realm Farella I had along side this as this one was more "together" than the Farella at this stage but not sure its long term potential is as high. This had very deep but refined dark fruits with tons of complexity. Long finish driven by fine but dusty tannins with notes of bitter chocolate, cigar box, charcoal and earth. Big difference with this wine depending on how much you swirl in your mouth -- need that to bring out the complexity. Best with food or chocolate at this stage. Needs long decant.
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9/5/2017 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
Labor Day weekend tasting notes (Mostly at home): Absolutely loved this on release, but it is quite tight right now. Significantly better on day 2. I would not open this at all right now, but if you must, pop the cork and let breathe for 24 hours. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, some graphite and spice. With air some dark cherries. On the palate, a fair amount of oak and firm tannins. With air there is a lot of fruit, but not initially. It is always deep, tightly wound and complex. Long finish. Gorgeous wine on Day 2, but on day one, maybe a 91 pointer. That's good but this is not cheap. I should have waited a bit. Oh well.
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1/8/2017 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This wine is a real beauty. Similar notes to last time, except it is integrating more and not quite as broad shouldered, but still massive. Tons of Rutherford Dust and wave after wave of opulent powerful fruit, brought to your pallet with some finesse and exceptional complexity. Incredible purity and the best flavor profile Napa has to offer IMO. Beautiful long finish and not at all over done.
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9/11/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 99 Points
2013 Mostly cabs but some other stuff too (GHT): This also got two votes for WOTN. I teetered on giving this 100 but if I had to teeter, it didn't get it though I am not sure why. I had high hopes for this and it exceeded them. The bottle was opened at 10AM and allowed to breathe. The nose has cassis and blueberries with cedar and spice. On the palate, this is a powerful masculine styled wine. Its a bruiser. Lots of cassis, some blueberries as well on the palate. A bit of cedar but very clean and young. It is above all though, just delicious. Probably the most delicious wine on the table. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. My first time trying this wine, it makes me wonder if perhaps the Poetry is worth the $300 per bottle if it is better than this.
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4/22/2016 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had at Mastro's alongside a '12 Fairchild Sigaro. This was splash decanted for about 45min at the restaurant and imbibed over the next 2hrs. No formal notes, just a few thoughts for memory. The nose is an outstanding mix of cassis, licorice and black fruit. You can smell BTK right away. I love that you can barely taste any oak. In line with the '13 vintage, this is a big, powerful, concentrated beast. As parker says, it is multidimensional with great purity. That said, it came with nice structure and layering, which leads me to believe it has the potential to evolve into something really great with some age. I'd suggest laying these down for at least another year, as right now it is a bit disjointed and needs time to come together. Same score as the '12 Sigaro for vastly different reasons. This one probably has more potential. 94+
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3/5/2016 - BordeauxBoy Likes this wine: 98 Points
Oh so young and Oh so great. You can drink 'em now buy why not wait until they get even better. 10-20 more years of life easy. No hiding this is a great Cali Cab that is very Insignia like. Great cassis flavors that are very fruit forward at the moment but the tannins are in the right place with little oak to get in the way of anything. Stunning bottle.
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