{"id":55,"date":"2009-07-18T20:44:04","date_gmt":"2009-07-18T20:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=55"},"modified":"2009-10-31T00:49:56","modified_gmt":"2009-10-31T00:49:56","slug":"a-red-wine-tasting-experience-with-andy-beckstoffer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=55","title":{"rendered":"A Red Wine Tasting Experience With Andy Beckstoffer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AndyWhen I was asked if we would like to speak to Andy Beckstoffer<\/strong> about his vineyards and the wines that are produced from his grapes, my response was a resounding Yes!<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 From where I sit Andy is a rock star in the vineyard management game and his grapes are his microphone.\u00c2\u00a0 Based upon the wines my tasting panel and I tasted during our phone interview, we felt we could keep Andy on this pedestal a little longer.\u00c2\u00a0 However, as Andy would probably tell you, in the grape business you are only as good as your last vintage.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Andy and his family, they have had the luxury of owning some of the best vineyards in California.\u00c2\u00a0 They own 10 vineyards in Napa, 7 in Mendocino, and 3 in Lake County.\u00c2\u00a0 Beckstoffer Vineyards has pioneered innovations in grape growing technology by changing the way grapes are grown.\u00c2\u00a0 Some of those changes have come in the form of canopy management techniques that include new methods in pruning, trellising, and vine spacing that have brought improved access to sunlight, resulting in increases in both quality and tonnage.\u00c2\u00a0 Adding drip irrigation has opened up whole new sections of the Carneros region to new plantings.\u00c2\u00a0 Sustainable agriculture has also brought new life to soils and vineyards.\u00c2\u00a0 According to Andy, “The past ten years have been a revolutionary time in the wine industry.\u00c2\u00a0 The adoption of new global technologies, rootings and clones in the vineyard, and the attitude to strive for the highest quality allows us to enter the 21st century as consistent producers of many of the best wines in the world, with the growers and vintners participating together in the work and in the prize.”<\/p>\n

\"AndyAndy has been in the business for a long time.\u00c2\u00a0 You can read his bio<\/a><\/strong> to learn about his long and storied history in the grape growing business.\u00c2\u00a0 As a pioneer in the CA grape growing game Andy has been rather influential.\u00c2\u00a0 I would have to say that a lot of grape growers today benefit from his vision as the founding director of the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association<\/a><\/strong> (NVGGA).\u00c2\u00a0 But this story is not about Andy, but instead it is about his vineyards and the grapes grown in them.\u00c2\u00a0 From there the story evolves into the wines that those grapes were made into and the enjoyment that they bring to all those who have a chance to enjoy them.<\/p>\n

I brought together 4 of my most experienced Ken's Wine Guide tasting panel<\/strong> members for this intriguing tasting and phone interview with Andy.\u00c2\u00a0 Andy led us through the history of each vineyard as we tried seven wines from his vineyards.<\/p>\n

We started with two wines from the Las Amigas Vineyard<\/strong> in Carneros.\u00c2\u00a0 Andy told us that he purchased the vineyard from Louis Martini in 1993.\u00c2\u00a0 He said the vineyards have relatively deep clay loam soils.\u00c2\u00a0 That, along with the cool climate of Carneros, and the closer vine spacing, has led to the production of some outstanding Merlot fruit for many years.<\/p>\n

\"SignorelloBefore we tasted the Merlot, we started with a very nice Pinot Noir from this vineyard.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2006 Signorello Pinot Noir \u201cLas Amigas Vineyard\u201d\u009d<\/a><\/strong> was very impressive.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored the wine Very Good+<\/strong> and awarded it with 90 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 We really enjoyed how smooth, elegant, and soft this Pinot was.\u00c2\u00a0 Its flavor profile was a tasty, juicy blueberry with some dark chocolate mixed in.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel agreed that it was a food-friendly and easy to drink Pinot Noir.\u00c2\u00a0 It did take a little while to open up, but we noticed that it developed more complexity with some time and air.<\/p>\n

Next we moved onto the Merlot.\u00c2\u00a0 We tried the 2005 Provenance \u201cBeckstoffer Las Amigas Vineyard\u201d\u009d Merlot<\/a><\/strong> for $60<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 We score this wine as Very Good.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the Pinot, we found the wine to be very nicely balanced, soft, and elegant.\u00c2\u00a0 Its flavor profile was blueberry and blackberry with hints of currant and black olive.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a very nice Merlot.<\/p>\n

\"WaypointAfter the Merlot we moved on to the Cabernets.\u00c2\u00a0 We started with the 2006 Waypoint 2006 \u201cMissouri Hopper Vineyard\u201d\u009d Cab<\/a><\/strong> for $65<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Andy told us quite a story about the history of Missouri Hopper.\u00c2\u00a0 Let us just say that story hints that the entertainment that was provided to her customers at her \u201cboarding house\u201d\u009d went well beyond the wine served.\u00c2\u00a0 Anyway, this vineyard is located in Oakville and the wine was well received.\u00c2\u00a0 We had not previously heard of Waypoint winery, but they made a terrific first impression.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored this wine 91.2<\/strong> points.\u00c2\u00a0 Being a 2006, it is still quite young.\u00c2\u00a0 This wine was a very different style than the rest.\u00c2\u00a0 We felt this particular Cab would appeal more to \u201cOld World\u201d\u009d fans and readers given its dusty, mild black currant flavor profile with black licorice notes, and a hint of black pepper.<\/p>\n

\"DrThe next two wines that we tasted provided us with a truly unique experience.\u00c2\u00a0 Both Cabs came from the Dr. Crane Vineyard<\/strong> in St. Helena.\u00c2\u00a0 This tiny vineyard is only 25 acres in all<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 It was originally planted by Napa pioneer Dr. George Beldon Crane in 1858.\u00c2\u00a0 This historic vineyard property is located west of Route 29 in the city of St. Helena within the St. Helena AVA.\u00c2\u00a0 As you can see by the picture, it is surrounded by quite a bit of urban sprawl.\u00c2\u00a0 It was replanted in 1998 with multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc.\u00c2\u00a0 As we found out, the vineyard designated wines from this vineyard are Rock Stars like the grape grower himself!<\/p>\n

\"KarlThe first wine we tried was the 2005 Karl Lawrence \u201cDr. Crane Vineyard\u201d\u009d Cab<\/a><\/strong> for $75<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the previous wines we tried, this Cab was very elegant and well balanced.\u00c2\u00a0 On the palate we experienced a ripe red cherry pie covered with dark chocolate shavings.\u00c2\u00a0 It was quite enjoyable and we scored this wine Very Good+<\/strong> and 91.2 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Here's where the story gets interesting.<\/p>\n

\"PaulNext up was the 2005 Paul Hobbs \u201cDr. Crane Vineyard\u201d\u009d Cab<\/a><\/strong> for $165<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Andy explained that Paul's grapes were likely grown within a few feet of the Karl Lawrence grapes, maybe even in the next row.\u00c2\u00a0 He also said it is likely that they were harvested within a few weeks of each other.\u00c2\u00a0 These facts intrigued our panel.<\/p>\n

So was there a difference in the bottles?\u00c2\u00a0 Oh yeah.\u00c2\u00a0 The 2005 Paul Hobbs \u201cDr. Crane Vineyard\u201d\u009d Cab<\/strong> was the best Cab we had in the tasting.\u00c2\u00a0 This was an Excellent<\/strong> wine and was awarded 96 points<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 This Cab was silky, extremely well balanced, and very elegant.\u00c2\u00a0 It displayed a delicious blend of black cherry and blackberry.\u00c2\u00a0 Its finish was dry and sailed on for quite some time.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a rather impressive wine.\u00c2\u00a0 We all agreed this was a special occasion wine that would pair perfectly with a filet mignon.\u00c2\u00a0 This little experiment was the perfect example of how different winemaking techniques, with similar if not the same grapes, can produce very different wines.<\/p>\n

\"GeorgesNext up was a wine from the Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard<\/strong> which was the former Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3.\u00c2\u00a0 This vineyard was originally planted by Georges De Latour of Beaulieu in 1928.\u00c2\u00a0 The vineyard is located adjacent to the Caymus Winery between Conn Creek Road and Silverado Trail within the Rutherford AVA.\u00c2\u00a0 Several clones of Cabernet Sauvignon are planted on the 300 acres of gravelly loam soil.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"GeorgesThe offering we experienced was the 2006 Schrader \u201cGeorges III\u201d\u009d<\/a><\/strong> for $125<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 Like the Hobbs, we rated this wine Excellent and scored it 94.4<\/strong> points.\u00c2\u00a0 With some bottle age this beauty might be able to catch up to the Hobbs.\u00c2\u00a0 In the meantime, this Cab is full bodied, nicely balanced, and fruit forward with very juicy cherry and blueberry flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 Its moderate tannins are rather lengthy with noteworthy persistence.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel felt this Cab was worthy of just drinking on its own or with food they would pair it with a New York strip steak.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ToWe concluded our tasting with a Cab from Andy's most famous vineyard, the To Kalon Vineyard<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 The 89 acre Beckstoffer portion of the historic original To Kalon Vineyard in the Oakville was purchased from Beaulieu Vineyard in 1993.\u00c2\u00a0 It was previously called Beaulieu Vineyard No. 4.\u00c2\u00a0 It was replanted by Beckstoffer from 1994 to 1997 after phylloxera hit it.\u00c2\u00a0 Today multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with modern trellising and closer vine spacing, allow the vineyard to produce several luxury vineyard designated wines such as the one we tried.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TorThe 2006 Tor \u201cBeckstoffer To Kalon\u201d\u009d Cab<\/a><\/strong> for $150<\/strong> is a full bodied Cab that is well balanced, juicy, and displays jammy black cherry and menthol flavors.\u00c2\u00a0 The finish of this very young Cab is quite dry and shows excellent length.\u00c2\u00a0 The panel felt this wine should cellar well.\u00c2\u00a0 We scored it 93+<\/strong> points<\/strong> because of its potential to develop into an excellent wine.\u00c2\u00a0 It is definitely a wine that shows great potential.<\/p>\n

We hope you enjoyed the journey through Andy's vineyards and the resulting wines as much as we did.\u00c2\u00a0 We enjoyed learning the history behind the vines and vineyards.\u00c2\u00a0 Andy is passionate about preserving the historical importance of these wonderful vineyards.\u00c2\u00a0 Based upon the wines we tried, we can certainly see why he is so passionate about preserving these vineyard sites.\u00c2\u00a0 They have a history and quality level well above your typical vineyard.\u00c2\u00a0 In conclusion, I can say with 100% certainty that the evening was a great experience.\u00c2\u00a0 If you want to learn more about the history of Andy Beckstoffer and Beckstoffer Vineyards you should definitely visit their website at BeckstofferVineyards.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cheers,
\nKen and the Tasting Panel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was asked if we would like to speak to Andy Beckstoffer about his vineyards and the wines that are produced from his grapes, my response was a resounding Yes!\u00c2\u00a0 From where I sit Andy is a rock star in the vineyard management game and his grapes are his microphone.\u00c2\u00a0 Based upon the wines […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[103,18,106,104,110,11,108,109,105,1,107,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-andy-beckstoffer","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-dr-crane","category-georges-iii","category-karl-lawrence","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-paul-hobbs","category-schrader","category-to-kalon","category-uncategorized","category-vineyards","category-wine-recommendations"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}