Krutz Family Cellars Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018

Southern roots shaped the Krutz Family in all their endeavors, including their style of winemaking.  Despite coming from Mississippi to California at the end of summer vacation and with no intention of staying, founder Patrick Krutz could not shake the desire to learn more about the expansive world of wine.  With no formal wine education, Patrick took a day job in Carmel-by-the-Sea at a small wine shop and absorbed all he could from those around him.  Just one year later, in 2003, he secured one ton of fruit and made his first vintage of the “garage-brand,” as he lovingly refers to it.  This wine would eventually grow to become Krutz Family Cellars, a winery in Sonoma County, that makes wines from some of the most excellent vineyards in Northern California.  The Krutz label depicts a magnolia flower, the state flower of Mississippi; it reminds them of where they came from and how to inform their decisions for the winery. Magnolias symbolize purity, joy, and perseverance, mainstays in the Krutz Family winemaking approach.  Even though Krutz Family Cellars started as a wine for family and friends, the brand quickly grew in demand, requiring growth as a company.  In 2011, Patrick convinced his brothers, Bryan and Cole, to join the winery in Sales and Winemaking, respectively.

After a long-term contract with Stagecoach Vineyard ended in 2015, the Krutz brothers set their sights on working with arguably the best vineyard company in Napa: Beckstoffer.  Though they’re the first to admit, it’s not as simple as buying grapes from the Beckstoffers.  The Beckstoffers vetted the Krutzes via recommendations from respected peers, interviews with owners Andy & Dave Beckstoffer, and showcasing the Krutz portfolio, allowing their style to speak for itself in the wine.  The process was a success, and they locked in 2016 as the first vintage from this historical site.  Parcels in the 300-acre Georges III property date back to 1895, planted by Mrs. Thomas Rutherford (yes, that Rutherford.) Beaulieu Vineyards stewarded the land for 60 years, making the BV Cabernets that would become world-renowned in their distinction as fine wines of Napa Valley.  1988 saw the vineyards transition to the Beckstoffer family and re-plantings taking advantage of new Cabernet Sauvignon clones and modern spacing and trellising techniques.  The Krutz brothers negotiated a unique contract with the Beckstoffers, called a Vineyard Designate Acreage Contract, that allows them control of the farming practices on their block from canopy maintenance to irrigation and yield control to cluster pruning.  With all this in place, the brothers set forth to “build the best” and vinify Napa Valley’s best Cabernet Sauvignon.

2018 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Beckstoffer GIII and shows off the unique nature of this exceptional vineyard and benevolent vintage.  They harvested in mid-September, and the pressed juice fermented in a 50HL new French oak tank.  After fermentation, the wine was aged in 90% new French oak barrels for 22 months before bottling.  Rich, full-bodied, and featuring that characteristic Rutherford “dusty” tannic structure, this lush wine is pleasantly youthful and elegant.  Plums, black cherries, and blackberries waft from the first swirls of the wine, leading into cocoa powder, tobacco, and leather notes after some time in the glass.  With the 2018 Beckstoffer GIII, the Krutzes have hit on all three pillars of magnolia symbolism: a true expression of the vineyard (purity), age-ability in Cabernet (perseverance), and the pleasure of enjoying a well-crafted wine (joy.)