Grape Culture Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa Valley 2019

One of the best things about being in the heart of the Napa Valley is that often, winemakers with brand spanking new projects come directly to us. We recently hosted good friends and fellow winemakers Collin Cranor and Craig Ploof for an IPO tasting at our famous farm table, and they let us know about their new label called Grape Culture. We were even more thrilled to find out they’ve made a Cabernet Sauvignon from one of our absolute favorite vineyards: Beckstoffer Georges III.

Collin grew up in the East Bay, in Castro Valley, into a family that loved and appreciated wine. As a child, he vividly remembers playing in the sun-dappled vineyards of Duckhorn, Silver Oak, and Cakebread while his parents enjoyed an idyllic afternoon of wine tasting in the Napa Valley. His father was always considered the wine guru of his family and circle of friends and helped instill a love of wine in Collin. So, after dabbling in winemaking for several years, and with Dad’s encouragement, in 2009 Collin founded Nottingham Cellars in the nearby burgeoning wine community of Livermore Valley. Grapes had long been grown in the area, but Collin’s wines helped foster awareness of the region in publications like the Wine Enthusiast. And they garnered many accolades. But, as for many winemakers, Napa continued to loom large in both his memory and psyche as it represented the pinnacle of viticultural and winemaking achievement. So, in 2018 Collin was able to hire his talented friend Craig as Director of Winemaking and relocated his family to Napa to found Grape Culture.

If you want to be an actor, you move to Hollywood; if you want to make the best wine in North America, you move to Napa, right? And if you want to work with the very best fruit in the Napa Valley, you call Andy Beckstoffer. Andy is notoriously highly selective with who receives access to the crown jewels of Napa vineyard sites in his portfolio. But in 2019, he met Collin and Craig and was moved by the passion that coursed through their veins. While some winemakers covet Cabernet Sauvignon from To Kalon, Collin and Craig set their sights on Georges III. And Andy granted their request, furnishing fruit from a few rows of block C1A. Lying a mere 10-minute drive south of ACME in the heart of Rutherford, historical archives attest that the vineyard was most likely first planted by Mrs. Thomas Rutherford herself in 1895. But the vineyard received its real renown after being purchased by Beaulieu Vineyards’ founder Georges de Latour in 1928. With winemaker Andre Tchelitscheff in the cellar, BV’s Rutherford Cabernets from Georges III arguably helped put Napa Valley wines on the map back in the 1960s. Something about the powerful, red berry flavors and characteristic Rutherford dust minerality in wines from this vineyard intrigued and entranced Collin and Craig. And this exquisite, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon is a testament to their handiwork and the impeccable quality of fruit that this vineyard has produced for generations.

The Grape Culture Georges III is crafted from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the fruit was hand-picked before being carefully delivered to the cellar. After several days of cold soak, fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks using native yeasts. The skins were mixed with the fermenting juice via a combination of pump-overs and punch downs, to keep the wine lively and fresh as opposed to overly tannic. The wine then aged graciously in French oak barrels, 75% new, for 20 months.  The result is an elegant wine that perfectly balances the tension between fruit, acid, and tannin. This wine is redolent with aromas of fresh, ripe raspberries, rhubarb jam, cardamom, and cinnamon. Flavors of black cherry are enhanced by a bright acidity and framed by velvety tannins resulting in a long, lingering finish. Just 100 cases produced.