March 31, 2024 - 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.
January 28, 2024 - 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
January 19, 2024 - 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).
December 3, 2023 - Enjoyed with the Lyon’s on an epic night, soft tannins and perfect fruit and silky structure. Ready anytime but has some years left.
August 31, 2023 - consistent with prior notes
July 28, 2023 - 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.
June 9, 2023 - 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+
February 9, 2022 - 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.
May 9, 2021 - An excellent cab. Still needs lots of air. Opened 90 minutes early, aerated into glass, needed even more than that.
March 13, 2020 - RP 99