Afterwords Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 2023

Long before a single grape was pressed, Anton and Lisa Van de Plas were quietly sketching out the blueprint for Afterwords, a label shaped not by haste, but by a decade of intention. After spending their careers immersed in the world of publishing, the couple traded bookshelves for barrel rooms, bringing with them the precision, thoughtfulness, and curiosity that defined their life in print. When they settled in Napa Valley in 2012, they found themselves surrounded by some of the region's most influential growers and winemakers. Those friendships eventually became the backbone of Afterwords, guiding the couple toward vineyard sources of extraordinary pedigree.

For their 2023 vintage, they turned to one of Napa Valley's crown jewels: Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard in Rutherford—a site whose history reads like required reading for any Cabernet devotee. Originally planted as early as 1895 and later purchased by Georges de Latour in 1928, this was the birthplace of Beaulieu Vineyard's legendary Rutherford Cabernets crafted by the iconic André Tchelistcheff. The wines produced here in the 1960s and 70s cemented BV's status as one of Napa's defining houses. Beckstoffer's acquisition of the vineyard in 1988 ushered in a new era, with replanting, tighter vine spacing, and modern trellising turning GIII into the meticulously farmed, world-class site we revere today.

To shape fruit of this caliber into something transcendent, Anton and Lisa partnered with someone who understands its legacy: Julien Fayard. With formative experience at Château Lafite-Rothschild and years spent alongside Philippe Melka, Julien has become one of Napa's great Cabernet whisperers. His philosophy is refreshingly pure: let the vineyard speak, honor what the vines give, and craft wines that carry the imprint of their place rather than the ego of their maker. His work with Purlieu, Sire, Somnium, Covert, and his eponymous label has made him a go-to for Cabernet that walks the line between power and elegance.

The 2023 Afterwords GIII Cabernet Sauvignon is precisely that - a wine that feels both classic and contemporary, rich yet refined, deeply Rutherford in its DNA. Expect dark cassis and black cherry layered with that unmistakable Rutherford dust, violets, graphite, warm spice, and a long, elegant finish wrapped in polished tannin. For Anton and Lisa, Afterwords was never meant to be a footnote. It was always destined to be a headline. And with this release, they’ve delivered a debut rooted in history, elevated by precision, and crafted with the same narrative care that once defined their lives on the page.