2013 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard The Grand Daddy Cabernet Sauvignon

Carter Cellars grew out of Carter House bed and breakfast, a Eureka, California, establishment where owner Mark Carter put together a restaurant wine list for his customers. The list won awards, which inspired Carter to make is own wine with sourced grapes. Carter Cellars’ first vintage was in 1998. In 2006 Carter opened Envy Winery in Calistoga, a 17-acre property that is now the home of Carter Wines. Today the winemaker is Mike Smith, one of Napa Valley's most in-demand young winemakers. Smith learned winemaking under Thomas Brown, and he still collaborates with Brown on some projects as well as making wine at Myriad and Quivet Cellars. Carter Cellars produces several Cabernet Sauvignons with grapes sourced from seven of Napa Valley's most celebrated vineyards, including Beckstoffer To Kalon, Weitz and Truchard. Carter also produces Merlot and Bordeaux blends. Reviewers have been highly complimentary. Wine Advocate rated the 2012 Beckstoffer To Kalon at 100 pts and called it "one of the truly majestic and singular world class wines of the Napa Valley....This compelling superstar is pure perfection."

To- Kalon is one of the most famous vineyards in Napa Valley, often called the first “grand cru” California vineyard. It has always inspired those who live near it. Native Americans called the area around it tu-la-halusi – meaning “beautiful land.” And later residents called it To-Kalon, Greek for “the most beautiful.” Originally planted by Hamilton Crabb in 1968, it today is owned by Andy Beckstoffer, the Robert Mondavi Winery and Opus One. Beckstoffer owns the lion’s share, with an 89-acre vineyard planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Beckstoffer sell To-Kalon grapes to such acclaimed producers as Schrader, Paul Hobbs, Tor Kenward, Realm, Alpha Omega and the Morlet Family. Beckstoffer Vineyards, a vineyard management business, owns and farms more than 3,600 acres of highly prestigious grape growing acreage in Napa Valley, Mendocino County and the Red Hills of Lake County. A senior executive with Heublein in the 1960s, Andy Beckstoffer is credited with steering Napa Valley vintners towards improving farming and the quality of the grapes used for wine.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.