2016 Beckstoffer Cabernet Sauvignon George III Empyrean
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Empyream is soft, sensual and beautifully perfumed. Plush fruit, silky tannins and soft contours give the Empyream much of its undeniably seductive personality. Sweet red cherry jam, mocha, spice, rose petal and mint are all finely knit in this very pretty and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon from Myriad. The Empyream is a blend of fruit from Blocks 4 and F, the two blocks Mike Smith picks at Georges III last. That extra hang time seems to give the Empyream its distinctive inner sweetness. The 100% new oak is already well integrated for such a young wine. (AG)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
One-hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon with a deep purple-black color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Empyrean rolls sensuously out of the glass like Cleopatra from her carpet, revealing incredibly alluring kirsch, Black Forest cake, warm blackcurrants and black raspberry scents with compelling suggestions of cinnamon stick, rose hip tea, cloves and forest floor plus a hint of pencil shavings. The full-bodied black fruit layers dance suggestively on the palate with lots of floral and red fruit sparks and a velvety frame, finishing long and spicy.
From a site in Rutherford, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard Empyrean, a barrel selection made from 90% new Darnajou and Taransaud barrels, is more expressive and complex, with a killer bouquet of cedarwood, black currants, forest floor, fruit cake, and assorted darker fruits. While it's from the same vineyard as the straight Georges III release, it's a very different wine with its more open, sexy, seamless character. With full body, ripe tannins, and a seamless, even sexy texture, it's already complex and layered, yet will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20 years. 125 cases.
The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Empyream offers a terrific expression of this highly-regarded Rutherford site. Blackberry jam, smoke, licorice and plum fill out the wine's big, ample frame with notable intensity. Rich and voluptuous to the core, the 2016 Empyream is shaping up to be a real beauty,
About the producer
Mike Smith is one of Napa’s leading winemakers, crafting top-scoring wines for the likes of Quivet, PerChance, Kindred and Flora Springs. Myriad Cellars is his personal label, run with his wife Leah.