New Release: Janzen Beckstoffer Cabernet 2019s!
As a wise wine collector once said: when spending three digits on a good bottle, stick with established sites and reputable vintages.
That is why many are bypassing the 2020 Napa Cabernets. The media have panned the vintage, casting doubt among would-be consumers. There are probably some jewels but even reviewers like Robert Parker and Vinous Media decided not to publish any ratings. Rather than risk their reputation, Harlan, Scarecrow and many other producers from marquee vineyards decided to skip it altogether.
Beckstoffer heritage producer Claus Janzen was among them. Instead, Janzen held his 2019 Napa Cabernets til now. With this release, buyers get access to historic sites and a reputable vintage, plus an extra year of aging.
Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
To Kalon is famous for being a core vineyard of the legendary BV George de la Tours, made by Andre Tchelistcheff in the 1930s, and continues to be a rare treasure of Napa valley with perhaps the highest pricetag for grapes in the country. Located on idyllic Western bench of Oakville, a section of To Kalon (“beautiful place” in Greek) was purchased by visionary grapegrower Andy Beckstoffer two decades ago and replanted to bring the vineyard into its full glory.
Wines from Beckstofffer’s meticulously farmed blocks are consistently among the greatest wines from Napa Valley. Janzen’s vines are in B Block on the Southern side of the vineyard where the gentle slope allows for ideal exposure and drainage.
To-Kalon wines are known for pure cassis notes and strong minerality from the well drained gravel bench, and Janzen To Kalon shows these hallmark characteristics with great depth and complexity.
Jeb Dunnuck gives the 2019 Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon 95 points: "The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard comes from one of the greatest sites in the valley and is all varietal. Its ruby/purple color is followed by a perfumed, expressive bouquet of red and black currants, flowery incense, leather, chocolate, and baking spices. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate and nicely balanced, with velvety tannins, a round, supple mouthfeel, and a great finish. It's drinking nicely already, but I see no need to delay gratification either. Nevertheless, it should have 15 years of prime drinking." - JD
SRP: $225
Janzen Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Located north of the town of Yountville in the Oakville AVA, the 45 acres that is now called Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper was originally part of a large piece of land owned by George C. Yount, from whom the town of Yountville takes its name. Charles Hopper purchased the land in 1877 and gave it to his daughter Missouri.
In 1996 Andy Beckstoffer added this parcel to his already impressive lineup of vineyard holdings and in 2002, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper became part a land conservation easement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development. Primarily Bale clay loam and sediment washed down from the Mayacamas, these "bench" soils are gravelly and deep. Classic wines from this site are supple, fleshy and authoritative; they exhibit black and blue fruit, exotic incense, gravel and charcoal.
Janzen holds the record for the top RP score for Missouri Hopper designates, with 99 points for the 2012 vintage; Robert Parker himself reviewed the wine, calling it “virtually perfect, and a California version of Haut-Brion or La Mission Haut-Brion.”
The 2019 earned 96+ from Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Missouri Hopper Vineyard is also 100% varietal and comes from a great site .. in the Oakville AVA. It's a more black/blue-fruited beauty with tons of spicy, incense, lead pencil, and chocolaty goodness on the nose. These carry to a full-bodied Cabernet with terrific balance, building tannins, and an almost Graves-like sense of scorched earth and roasted herbs that emerges with time in the glass. It's another gorgeous wine from this label. It needs 2-4 years of bottle age and will cruise over the following 10-15."
SRP: $165
Janzen Cloudy's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2019
While the Janzens source from several of Napa Valley’s most prestigious vineyards the quality of the fruit coming from the small vineyard on the home estate provides a different profile and a great contrast to the valley floor vineyards which led them to bottle it separately as a vineyard designate.
Cloudy’s sits on the slopes of Dutch Canyon above Duckhorn’s Three Palms and Switchback Ridge vineyards. At 450-500’ Cloudy’s is high above the floor but under the marine layer keeping the vines cooler throughout the day. The varying soils and exposures of the small steep vineyard allow for significant diversity among blocks.
The resulting wine is a silkier more elegant counterpart to its powerful stablemates from the Oakville bench. This wine shines at the dinner table with its lush and polished texture.
The 2019 earned 95+ from Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Cloudy's Vineyard comes from an estate vineyard located in the Dutch Henry Canyon, situated between the Switchback and Hourglass vineyards. Ripe currants, blueberries, leafy tobacco, iron, and chocolate all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a focused, elegant mouthfeel, a terrific sense of freshness, and outstanding length. It's drinking nicely today, yet this beauty should easily have 15+ years of total longevity."
SRP: $165