99 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard has a deep garnet-purple color, requiring a little coaxing before it spills out of the glass with fantastically showy blackberry preserves, boysenberries and cassis notes, plus hints of black raspberries, clove oil and potpourri, with a touch of tobacco leaf. The decadent, full-bodied palate sports a firm backbone of ripe, grainy tannins with beautiful freshness. All that generous black fruit melds seamlessly into a very long, mineral-laced finish.
98 Points Jeb Dunnuck - The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard offers up a sweeter, sexier nose than the Dr. Crane release and is loaded with red and black currant fruits as well as flowery incense, unsmoked tobacco, chocolate, and exotic spices. Ultra-pure, ripe, as opulent as they come, and just heavenly juice any way you look at it, it can be enjoyed any time over the coming 20-25 years, probably longer.
97 Points James Suckling - Red tile and red fruit, turning to lead pencil. Lavender and sliced plums. Medium-bodied and very tight with a compact palate that is tight, linear and very long. Pure. Goes to iodine and crushed stone. Drink in 2027.
97 Points Vinous - The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard captures so much of what makes the Realm wines so appealing. It is maybe just a bit pushed in terms of its ripeness profile, but not as heavy or unctuous as in some past years. Blueberry jam, creme de cassis, lavender, licorice, spice and gravel build as the 2019 opens in the glass. This heady, full-throttle Cabernet is sure to delight Realm fans.
It was also the ancient Greeks who first said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If that is true, then To Kalon Vineyard is aptly named and considered by countless people over many decades as the preeminent vineyard of Napa Valley. Realm has been fortunate to work with exceptional fruit from Beckstoffer To Kalon since we began making wine in 2002. Comprised of a portion of the historical To Kalon vineyard first planted to grapes in 1868, the 89-acre parcel was acquired by Andy Beckstoffer in 1993 and replanted using close spacing and modern trellising. Bordering Highway 29 and stretching west nearly to the Mayacamas Mountain range in the Oakville AVA, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard sits on a vast alluvial plain formed millions of years ago during a period of immense geologic activity. The site is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with several rows of Cabernet Franc at its westernmost edge. In 2007 the property was placed under a land conservation easement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development.
Beckstoffer To Kalon grapes are made available to a small number of boutique wine producers who fashion them into some of the highest quality wines Napa Valley has to offer. “The wines from To Kalon are so dense, so opulent,” says Winemaker Benoit Touquette. “When you look at it, it’s hard to put a finger on what makes this vineyard so special. But in the wine, its beauty is unmistakable.” Realm’s Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several blocks planted to Clones 4 and 337. The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
