Important Update From the Founder

To Kalon and Dr. Crane Night

Charlie Palmer Steak NYC

Tasted February 7, 2023 by SMHalps with 150 views

Introduction

A dinner at Charlie Palmer Steak in Times Square, NYC for my wine group. This was high end Cabernet Sauvignons. All the reds were decanted and were served in high end wine glasses. We started the evening with a German Riesling.

Flight 1 (1 note)

The opening wine of the night.

White

2020 Weingut Rings Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Großes Gewächs Germany, Pfalz

93 points

The opening wine of a high end red wine night with my wine group. About half of us had it with Oysters and it was a great match for that. The other half had the Wedge salad, and truthfully, I felt the heavy blue cheese dressing was a disservice to this wine. Nice acidity, but to compare, nowhere near as acidic as the "by the glass" Albarinio that I have before dinner. Nice notes of peach/apricot and a pleasing minerality.

Comment

Flight 2 - To Kalon Flight (2 notes)

The two To Kalon wines, side by side.

Red

2012 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve To-Kalon Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

95 points

Decanted for over 45 minutes before pouring. This started slow, as it tasted a little flat, compared to the other To Kalon we had alongside it. But the longer it sat in the glass (and the decanter) the better it got. By mid meal, this was tasting great. Complex, well structured, maybe not as full bodied as the rest of the wines we had, it was instead, elegant.

1 person found this helpful Comments (3)

Red

2013 Bacio Divino Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

96 points

4 1/2 years since my previous bottle and I'm bumping my score up a point. Decanted for over 45 minutes before pouring. Full bodied, with a long finish. Floral notes mixed with Blueberry fruit.

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Flight 3 - Dr. Crane Flight (2 notes)

The two Dr. Crane wines, side by side.

Red

2013 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

94 points

Big full bodied fruit driven wine. A hedonistic pleasure. It was the most flamboyant wine of the night. Had I just drank this, I probably would have given it a higher score. But alongside some other Dr. Crane and Tokalon wines, it just seemed to be missing the extra complexity for a higher score.

Comment

Red

2012 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

97 points

Decanted for over an hour before pouring. Out of the 8 of us, this was the unanimous WOTN. Big, complex, with a long finish. I could drink this on its own or with the big rib eye steak that I had. A real treat!

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Closing

An amazing dinner. The restaurant's sommelier did a great job keeping an eye on us to make sure we were well paced. She placed little pieces of tape under each decanter so we would never get the wines confused. The WOTN was the 2012 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane. It was pretty much the WOTN from our first sip of this wine! For most of us, the Bacio Divino Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon was the 2nd favorite. The 8 of us were split between the 2012 Robert Mondavi To Kalon and the 2013 Realm Beckstoffer Dr. Crane. The Mondavi evolved the most during the night, getting better as the night went on.