To Kalon Vineyard Co. H.W.C. Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2018

The name can only be Andy Erickson if the résumé contains: Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Ovid, Harlan, Staglin, Mayacamas, Newton, Arietta, Leviathan, AND Favia. Suppose you are accustomed to admiring the handiwork of these ethereal wines or crave polished, stately, elegant, luscious, and lasting-impression wines. In that case, you should pay close attention to what Andy has added to his curriculum vitae: To Kalon Vineyard Company.  

Bequeathed with access to the utmost premium plots within the renowned To Kalon Vineyard, Andy has the ultimate component in his winemaking mise en place, allowing him unlimited freedom to create a wine that exemplifies maximal pedigree. And this might mean that Andy has 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 who is one of the finest in the business.  Today it is often referred to as Napa’s “First Growth” vineyard, the valley’s 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. With Andy at the helm of this gleaming, rising star of a brand, the focus is on terroir-driven wines using many micro-plots within this celebrated vineyard, providing all you Cabernet-buffs with another prominent player in the arsenal of world-class Cabernet.

The 2018 H.W.C. is the 2nd label to debut from To Kalon Vineyard Company.  Named for the man who started it all, H.W. Crabb, who bestowed the To Kalon name to his 350-acre Oakville estate in 1886 and sparked the now celebrated tradition of winemaking from the acclaimed property. As a true pioneer of Napa Valley winemaking, Crabb experimented with hundreds of varietals, and it wasn’t until the 1960s that Cabernet reigned supreme on this plot.

In a grand gesture, proclaiming Cabernet is King in To Kalon, Andy presents the H.W.C., a 100% Heritage Clone Cabernet Sauvignon. Robert Mondavi originally planted the vines for this single clonal Cabernet, favored for the low-yields and unadulterated intensity of aroma and flavor. Extended maceration on skins for 30 days imparted rich inky hues and smoothed the tannins. To match the power, Andy aged the wine in 100% new French oak for nearly two years before bottling in early December 2020. Intricately woven depths of flavor-dip in with spiced blackberry jam and blueberry pie at first sip and dive further into notes of cigar box, espresso, and cocoa powder as the wine opens in your glass. The expectation is for a highly concentrated and overly ripe Cabernet, yet there is an astonishing clarity, freshness, and layered textures through the mid-palate and a lingering, firm finish.