2013 The Debate Assortment (To Kalon, Dr Crane, Missouri Hopper)

<strong>Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard – 96 points</strong><br>The ever-humorous and clever Jean Hoefliger says about the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon, “It has the complexity and depth of Sigmund Freud and the integrity of Abraham Lincoln.” Perhaps my tasting notes can’t say it much better than that. It’s a prodigious Cabernet Sauvignon with notes of charcoal embers integrated with blueberry, blackberry and cassis, some lead pencil shavings, unsmoked cigar tobacco, and a massive, full-bodied mouthfeel with incredible purity, structure and intensity. Forget it for 4-5 years and drink it over the following 30+.<br><br><strong>Beckstoffer Dr Crane – 98 points</strong><br>The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane again reveals Graves-like, smoky barbecue notes intermixed with wet stones, blueberry and blackberry fruit, a full-bodied opulence, and a sexy, lusty mouthfeel, and to me, the most complexity of any of these wines. There’s something about this vineyard that just seems to hit all the sweet spots on my palate, so I adore just about everybody’s wine that comes from this source. According to Jean Hoefliger, “Dr. Crane has the sexiness and softness of Marilyn Monroe and the eloquence of Mahatma Gandhi.” (As you can imagine, Hoefliger is never short of whimsical statements.)<br><br><strong>Beckstoffer Missourri Hopper – 95+ points</strong><br>The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Missouri Hopper, which comes from another Oakville Beckstoffer Vineyard, is spectacular. Opaque purple in color, the wine offers up notes of white chocolate, blackberry and cassis, some subtle background oak, rich, foresty notes, a full-bodied, opulent texture, and terrific purity and overall harmony. It is young and tightly coiled, but this is a stunner that should evolve beautifully for 25-30 years.<br><br>Bigger than life Jean Hoefliger is the winemaking guru behind these wines. He has partnered with Rob McKay, and they obviously have access to some incredibly great vineyards in Napa in order to produce such world-class wines. Three of the five wines I tasted came from 100% Beckstoffer-owned vineyards, and that generally means amazing materials. Oct 2015, www.robertparker.com