Bacio Divino Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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Wong
Wilfred -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
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Suckling
James
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Iconic, synonymous with excellence, the celebrated Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard has a long history of producing amazingly robust yet balanced and elegant wines. 2018 was among the most balanced vintages over the last 10- 15 years. The result is a wine that offers great opulence, while maintaining the elegance and complexity expected from this world class vineyard. Featuring a beautiful bouquet of roses, red fruit, and hints of spice, this vintage elegantly expands across the palate with a richness that bodes well for ageing this wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Bacio Divino Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is impressive in all aspects. This magnificent wine shines with aristocratic aromas and flavors of red and blackcurrants with a hint of minerality and oaky notes. This wine will need time in the cellar before its full bloom of excellence is realized. (Tasted: September 6, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is more expressive and ready to go, offering a beautiful bouquet of cassis, blueberries, flowery incense, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, and violet-like nuances. Beautifully balanced and full-bodied, with that classic To Kalon sexiness as well as purity on the palate, this is another head-turning wine in this lineup that can be drunk today or cellared for 15-20 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Entirely varietal and given 22 months in 100% new French oak, this wine exudes dark mocha, black currant and cassis flavors, coming together in a seamless, opulent style. Sweet oak and notes of clove, cinnamon and black pepper dot a structured, complex and full-bodied wine of considerable length.
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James Suckling
Cherry pie and plums with lots of vanilla and walnuts. Spicy wood. It’s full-bodied with round tannins and a juicy finish. A bigger style.
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Being so motivated, I longed to create a distinctive, noble wine. In the California tradition of working with the new to improve the traditional, I looked to achieve a way of broadening the distinctly majestic flavors and aromas of the king of Napa Valley's varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon. Over the years I've had the opportunity to experiment with various lots of Cabernet, and I eventually settled on the hillside fruit from Ahollinger vineyards in the Mount Veeder area. This vineyard produces a bold and expressive, yet elegant wine. In 1992, we discovered the Sangiovese fruit of Cal Showket in the Oakville appellation, and were literally overwhelmed by the intensity of what resulted in our first crush in 1993. To embellish the color and acid levels of the Sangiovese, we crushed and macerated this fruit with one and a half tons of the best Petite Syrah fruit I had ever sampled.
As time aged each of these wines, and molded their individual character, I was able to determine a blend that married the elegant, yet rich and softly oaked Cabernet with the Sangiovese's long and linear tannins, at the same time elevating the cherry, berry Sangiovese fruit to a pronounced level. The resulting wine showed that a whole could be greater than it's individual parts. And so...'Bacio Divino', a divine kiss, was born.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.