Tight on open and needed a full hour in the decanter to show. Fairly primary dry palate of dried black fruit, some tar, and some iodine. Kind of a savory meaty thing happening mid palate. Starts with full mouth feel and then softens quickly. Not overly drying or grippy right now, but still some structure to support more time in bottle.
I'm putting my vote in for hold.
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The bright rich blue and black fruits were more subdued, in this, my third and final bottle. Finely grained tannins and beautiful minerality drove the mid palate and finish. Not sure if the fruit is fading, or it has just closed down for now. Nice mid weight expression of To Kalon. Still very balanced, becoming a bit more savory. I’d drink ‘‘em if you have any left
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92-93pts. Much improved since last tasting. Rich blueberry, blackberry, silky texture, pretty well balanced overall and not as one dimensional as I thought it could be. Alcohol comes through a bit in the finish.
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The rating reflects its high water marks during the evening as it went through cycles of open and tight all night! At its best, this bottle had fleshy fruit to balance out its dark side (earth, flint and bitter dark chocolate) that resulted in a very interesting and complex wine. At its worst, it was closed down showing you glimpses of greatness but demanded food to show any pleasure. Overall was very happy with the experience.
purple to the rim. decanted and left for 2 hours and drank over the next two hours. Still very closed but did open up as the evening progressed. lots of fruit upfront with a long finish. have to agree with previous notes that this needs at least two more years. Will hold onto mine and try in another year or so.
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It’s been three years since my last bottle of this wine. A slight bit of evolution in bottle has served it well, but it hasn’t changed all that much. Perhaps a little more expressive and less linear, but still somewhat muted. Medium and fairly primary overall. Still needs time is the punchline here. I sense something special, but I am still learning how to properly navigate through this style and find the right window for Tynan’s age-worthy wines.
Beautiful black currant, black cherry, and black gravel flavors offer an exacting and focused delivery. Hits the palate with medium intensity and finishes the same. For those holding bottles, this is probably a decade-from-vintage wine. Hopefully a few more years will deepen its profile and allow for more expansion mid-palate. Try again in 2022++.
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Decanted 4 hours - needed probably 8-10. Still way too young to drink, tannins are so thick it's hard to get to the fruit. Dark purple/red/black in the glass. Tobacco, cedar, and black fruit on the nose. The palate is a little disjointed at this point, but after 6 hours, this wine is full of black cherry. The alcohol is noticeable. I'll wait another 4-5 years before opening the next one.
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Don't know if we could ask for more. 1 hour decant. Rich, slightly earthy-compared to Sebastiai Cherryblock we had earlier. Special treat for a friend's birthday with filet.
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Fantastic! Decanted for 1 hour, paired with steak and salmon sous vide. We are big fans of Cliff Lede Cabernets, and B2K wines. This combination did not disappoint. Solid nose, deep color, silky fruit-earth balance on palate, and long (though not infinite) finish. Wish I had more.
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Brought this to a restaurant in Philly last night where is showed beautifully. Short decant. Showing gorgeous ripe, dark fruit with chewy tannins. No hard edges - alcohol and acidity are hardly noticeable. full bodied, long mid palate, finishes with spicebox and dust. Lingering finish. Yum! For me, it will be hard to resist the two remaining bottles I have
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90-92+. Potential for higher (i hope) but not really coming together well at this point. Ultra ripe fruit, one dimensional, lot of oak and alcohol on the finish. Aa with most other Napa 12s I've had needs much more time, which is interesting as the 13s seem to be very approachable.
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Has not quite come together yet, but the elements are there. Typical for the Cliff Lede style, and I could have taken this for one of their better Stag's Leap bottlings. Will hold other bottle, and hold off on trying the '13 yet.
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Similar to my previous notes on this wine 6+ months ago. Hasn't changed too much except that it appears to have softened a bit, which is a little unusual given the BTK pedigree. On PnP it was a little dusty. My other half likened it to licking a paper napkin.
However, after a few hours in the decanter at 54 degrees, the dusty feature subsided, leaving soft dark red and black fruit. Not especially powerful or deep, but had a finesse and balance that was notable.
94 points at this point. I don't see this becoming that much more amazing over time, as the tannins are so subtle and the profile medium-bodied that I don't imagine it having the push to elevate itself much further. A very good wine. However, for a BTK, this came off a little soft.
Drink now with a quick decant, or hold for another year.
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Cliff Lede Tasting (Napa): Tasted at Cliff Lede alongside the 2012 Beautiful Generation, Howell Mountain, and High Fidelity. The Beckstoffer To Kalon was #1 of the quartet of wines. All wines were double-decanted with a Vinturi four hours before my tasting.
Notes of blackberry, dark chocolate, and complex earth notes. What was especially interesting about this particular BTK revolved around the fascinating spice box notes pushing out on to the mid-palate and beyond through the finish. Cinnamon, spice, and everything nice for sure! Almost like walking into a old candy shop at Christmas and smelling the sweet cinnamon and chocolate in the air.
It will be interesting to see how the spice integrates into this wine over the course of the next few years. For anyone holding a few bottles, I would recommend ideally waiting until 2018+, or doing a slow O2 at cellar temperature for 8 hours and a final one hour decant before service (if wanting to open in the near future).
94-95 points with a possible point improvement with further bottle integration.
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2012 Beckstoffer To-Kalon Cabs (Home): Splash decanted before consumption. Initially nose is closed but eventually dark fruit and chocolate aromas emerge. The medium full palate has lots of dark fruit, cocoa, and hint of lavender. Finish last nearly a minute.
Really good wine with a long life ahead. I recommend continued cellaring or lengthy decant.
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2/9/2024 - WineKnut Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tight on open and needed a full hour in the decanter to show. Fairly primary dry palate of dried black fruit, some tar, and some iodine. Kind of a savory meaty thing happening mid palate. Starts with full mouth feel and then softens quickly. Not overly drying or grippy right now, but still some structure to support more time in bottle.
I'm putting my vote in for hold.
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9/24/2023 - The Wine Sherpa Does not like this wine: 91 Points
The fruit is pretty faint and the bottle is declining. I would drink now.
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5/4/2023 - kr522 wrote: 92 Points
Giant fruit bomb, if you love them this way then try it out. Only problem for me was a bit too much alcohol in the finish
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12/26/2022 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 94 Points
The bright rich blue and black fruits were more subdued, in this, my third and final bottle. Finely grained tannins and beautiful minerality drove the mid palate and finish. Not sure if the fruit is fading, or it has just closed down for now. Nice mid weight expression of To Kalon. Still very balanced, becoming a bit more savory. I’d drink ‘‘em if you have any left
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6/5/2022 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
92-93pts. Much improved since last tasting. Rich blueberry, blackberry, silky texture, pretty well balanced overall and not as one dimensional as I thought it could be. Alcohol comes through a bit in the finish.
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3/27/2022 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of dark fruit with even more to give. Still needs some air to fully open up. Should hit its peak in 2-3 years.
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7/2/2021 - gteran76 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened for 2 hours and then double decanted it for just 10 min and started consuming one hour later.
This wine is a BOLD - BIG Boy, still tannic, very dark notes and full body. It's complex but mostly primary, the finish is sensational.
94+ the best days are yet to come...
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6/18/2021 - iamandyc Likes this wine: 96 Points
The rating reflects its high water marks during the evening as it went through cycles of open and tight all night! At its best, this bottle had fleshy fruit to balance out its dark side (earth, flint and bitter dark chocolate) that resulted in a very interesting and complex wine. At its worst, it was closed down showing you glimpses of greatness but demanded food to show any pleasure. Overall was very happy with the experience.
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10/30/2019 - bobh22314 Likes this wine: 94 Points
purple to the rim. decanted and left for 2 hours and drank over the next two hours. Still very closed but did open up as the evening progressed. lots of fruit upfront with a long finish. have to agree with previous notes that this needs at least two more years. Will hold onto mine and try in another year or so.
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4/23/2019 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
It’s been three years since my last bottle of this wine. A slight bit of evolution in bottle has served it well, but it hasn’t changed all that much. Perhaps a little more expressive and less linear, but still somewhat muted. Medium and fairly primary overall. Still needs time is the punchline here. I sense something special, but I am still learning how to properly navigate through this style and find the right window for Tynan’s age-worthy wines.
Beautiful black currant, black cherry, and black gravel flavors offer an exacting and focused delivery. Hits the palate with medium intensity and finishes the same. For those holding bottles, this is probably a decade-from-vintage wine. Hopefully a few more years will deepen its profile and allow for more expansion mid-palate. Try again in 2022++.
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3/17/2019 - cawineaux wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours - needed probably 8-10. Still way too young to drink, tannins are so thick it's hard to get to the fruit. Dark purple/red/black in the glass. Tobacco, cedar, and black fruit on the nose. The palate is a little disjointed at this point, but after 6 hours, this wine is full of black cherry. The alcohol is noticeable. I'll wait another 4-5 years before opening the next one.
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11/7/2018 - ettalovesgoodwine wrote:
Something off
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10/21/2018 - catlady Likes this wine: 95 Points
Don't know if we could ask for more. 1 hour decant. Rich, slightly earthy-compared to Sebastiai Cherryblock we had earlier. Special treat for a friend's birthday with filet.
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8/28/2018 - Coachron13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking great with an hour of air, but still has more to give. This is still a little tight, probably 3-5 years before it hits its peak.
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8/7/2018 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Opaque purple.
Some residual vanilla oak ripe berry
Quite classy rich, ripe (but not over ripe)
Napa Cab.
Quite good
And YFS, big time
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5/20/2018 - MelroseCellars Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic! Decanted for 1 hour, paired with steak and salmon sous vide. We are big fans of Cliff Lede Cabernets, and B2K wines. This combination did not disappoint. Solid nose, deep color, silky fruit-earth balance on palate, and long (though not infinite) finish. Wish I had more.
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1/8/2018 - Franken Berry Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brought this to a restaurant in Philly last night where is showed beautifully. Short decant. Showing gorgeous ripe, dark fruit with chewy tannins. No hard edges - alcohol and acidity are hardly noticeable. full bodied, long mid palate, finishes with spicebox and dust. Lingering finish. Yum! For me, it will be hard to resist the two remaining bottles I have
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8/21/2016 - cawineaux wrote: 96 Points
Decanted 6 hours, a little longer would have helped. Dark red in the glass. Spice, cherry, baked blueberries, vanilla, well rounded, full, amazing.
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7/20/2016 - SonnyChiba wrote: 91 Points
90-92+. Potential for higher (i hope) but not really coming together well at this point. Ultra ripe fruit, one dimensional, lot of oak and alcohol on the finish. Aa with most other Napa 12s I've had needs much more time, which is interesting as the 13s seem to be very approachable.
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6/7/2016 - KeithSurg wrote: 93 Points
Has not quite come together yet, but the elements are there. Typical for the Cliff Lede style, and I could have taken this for one of their better Stag's Leap bottlings. Will hold other bottle, and hold off on trying the '13 yet.
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5/17/2016 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
Similar to my previous notes on this wine 6+ months ago. Hasn't changed too much except that it appears to have softened a bit, which is a little unusual given the BTK pedigree. On PnP it was a little dusty. My other half likened it to licking a paper napkin.
However, after a few hours in the decanter at 54 degrees, the dusty feature subsided, leaving soft dark red and black fruit. Not especially powerful or deep, but had a finesse and balance that was notable.
94 points at this point. I don't see this becoming that much more amazing over time, as the tannins are so subtle and the profile medium-bodied that I don't imagine it having the push to elevate itself much further. A very good wine. However, for a BTK, this came off a little soft.
Drink now with a quick decant, or hold for another year.
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11/21/2015 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
Cliff Lede Tasting (Napa): Tasted at Cliff Lede alongside the 2012 Beautiful Generation, Howell Mountain, and High Fidelity. The Beckstoffer To Kalon was #1 of the quartet of wines. All wines were double-decanted with a Vinturi four hours before my tasting.
Notes of blackberry, dark chocolate, and complex earth notes. What was especially interesting about this particular BTK revolved around the fascinating spice box notes pushing out on to the mid-palate and beyond through the finish. Cinnamon, spice, and everything nice for sure! Almost like walking into a old candy shop at Christmas and smelling the sweet cinnamon and chocolate in the air.
It will be interesting to see how the spice integrates into this wine over the course of the next few years. For anyone holding a few bottles, I would recommend ideally waiting until 2018+, or doing a slow O2 at cellar temperature for 8 hours and a final one hour decant before service (if wanting to open in the near future).
94-95 points with a possible point improvement with further bottle integration.
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11/20/2015 - The Wine Sherpa Likes this wine: 96 Points
A very young wine, but I couldn't help myself to try one of my bottles. Just a world class Napa Cab. Blackberry on the mid palate and soft tannins.
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10/3/2015 - flashvictor Likes this wine: 94 Points
2012 Beckstoffer To-Kalon Cabs (Home): Splash decanted before consumption. Initially nose is closed but eventually dark fruit and chocolate aromas emerge. The medium full palate has lots of dark fruit, cocoa, and hint of lavender. Finish last nearly a minute.
Really good wine with a long life ahead. I recommend continued cellaring or lengthy decant.
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8/29/2015 - KarrieS Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wonderful!!! Didn't even decant for long. Can hardly wait to drink the next one!
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4/11/2015 - Corrie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent expression of BTK, fruit forward with balance, and such a young wine. Can drink now.
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