The name can only be Andy Erickson if the résumé contains: Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Ovid, Harlan, Staglin, Mayacamas, Newton, Arietta, Leviathan AND Favia. For the people who have admired the handiwork of any of these ethereal wines and who continually crave polished, stately, elegant, luscious and lasting-impression wines, Andy has added one more significant name to his curriculum vitae: To Kalon Vineyard Co. Bequeathed access to the top plots within the renowned To Kalon Vineyard as the ultimate component of his winemaking mise en place, the endowment of unlimited freedom to create a wine that exemplifies the maximum pedigree quite simply means that Andy just made one of the wine industry’s BEST new Oakville Cabernets. It would be nearly impossible not to when THE quintessential heritage Oakville property, known for its serial 100-point wines, is united with a winemaking legend whom literally no one can claim isn’t one of the finest in the business. Predictably, the wine lives up to the Greek meaning of the word TO KALON: The Highest Beauty.
A snippet of history: When pioneer H.W. Crabb bought a sizable parcel of land in west Oakville in 1868, planted the now-famous parcels to several hundred grape varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon rising to be crowned the King of them all - he created a winemaking and grape-growing empire he named To Kalon. Today it is often referred to as Napa’s “First Growth” vineyard, its most iconic vineyard and is firmly established as ultra-premium grape-growing real estate in the Napa Valley. Undisputedly, the original land expanse is one of the finest in the world for growing world class Cabernet Sauvignon. Throughout the last 150 years, plots have changed hands and currently, Constellation (who also owns Robert Mondavi, The Prisoner Wine Co. and more) owns over 450 acres, 89 acres are owned by Andy Beckstoffer, and smaller portions are owned by Opus One (a joint-venture between Baron Philippe Rothschild and Constellation), Detert Family, MacDonald and a division of UC Davis. Each parcel displays a common thread of pure excellence exhibited in the fruit, while surrounded by visible beauty of the highest level.
Andy’s goal with every wine that he creates is to highlight the unique character of each individual site allowing the balance and precision of grape growing to shine bright while underplaying winemaker-intervention. With Andy at the helm of this gleaming, newly-launched, project, he will focus on terroir-driven wines using many micro-plots within this celebrated vineyard, providing Cabernet buffs with another prominent player in the arsenal of world class Cabernet. Other luminaries in the To Kalon realm are Andy Beckstoffer, who has helped drive the train of excellence for stellar wines under Schrader, TOR, Vice Versa, Paul Hobbs as has other brands who don the name. ANDY SAYS: “What amazes me about this vineyard is that it produces wines with very soft tannins and yet incredible focus. There is great varietal definition that shines through with wines produced from To Kalon Vineyard.” He enthuses, “In addition to the incredible quality of the land, To Kalon has a deep and fascinating legacy. It is truly a gift to make wines from this great vineyard.” ACME SAYS: This Cabernet is, in two words, seductively hypnotic. It is one of the most nuanced, uptown, refined wines we have tasted. Its core of densely-layered, distinctive black fruits dotted with alluring attributes of figs, tar, sagebrush and crushed rocks engraves an honest-to-goodness grace as the wine rushes over the palate. We knew we weren't overreacting to the sublime sensations when we featured this wine in a recent virtual tasting and had feedback from our clients that this wine was their favorite of the star-studded line-up (naming which stars would be unfair to them). Our personal advice to you is to stake claim on a 3pk (of course more, if you have the space) and become one of a small group of proud and satisfied owners of something better than GREAT. Drink one bottle upon arrival and save the rest for treats, as needed.
