2007 The Seventy Five Wine Company The Sum

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  2/24/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (THE SUM Beckstoffer Seventy Five) Cabernet Dear Friends, With apologies to Niki, I'm going to put this out and run for cover... Nothing gets our email list aflutter like high quality, cheap (sorry, "inexpensive") Cabernet based wine from Napa and even more so when it has the seal of approval from "The Emperor of Wine", Robert Parker ((r)Ellin McCoy). If it means anything, this is about the most enthusiastic I've ever seen Parker over a wine like this. From the Beckstoffer family (owners of one of Napa's most admired vineyards), Tuck Beckstoffer is in charge of this project and it appears to be on the road to very big things. What sets the 2007 The Sum apart from a myriad of options at its price-point is the level detail they are trying to achieve with a $15+ wine (statements like "a hedonists dream" and "Don't dare pass it by" are not the norm from Parker either, especially with Napa Valley entrants in this category). We've offered Tuck's Amber Knolls bottling in the past but The Sum is a new wine with broader aspirations and they couldn't have picked a better vintage for its debut - 2007, a year many are calling the finest Cabernet harvest in Napa Valley since 1995. If the vintage is that strong then you are in good hands - the Beckstoffer's know a thing or two about Cabernet Sauvignon: I tasted two bottles of this wine last week and while I wouldn't quite go to the lengths Parker mentions above (in addition, the second bottle tasted was far stronger than my first) it's the perfect bargain example to place on the picnic or dinner table this summer and watch the hordes descend like flies. Not a shy wine by any means, it will conquer the masses (vine-savvy or not) while staying true to the Napa Valley pedigree the Beckstoffer's have worked so hard to maintain over the years. While this is certainly not in the league of something like 2007 Paul Hobbs "Beckstoffer To Kalon" (the fruit for The Sum is from vineyards owned by their friends, not from To Kalon), for $15+ I think most of you will be quite happy to have this in party-sized quantities for this summer and beyond. Ageing? Who knows, but I'm sure it will last until at least 2014-2016. For more info: http://www.75wine.com/sum.html I'm not sure what else I can add except, here goes... FIRST COME FIRST SERVED at this price up to 60/person until we run out 2007 The Sum (Tuck Beckstoffer) Seventy Five Wine Co. (Cabernet Sauvignon blend) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA CA6200