2018 World's End Good Times Bad Times Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon

World’s End is another tradition-defying winemaking venture from Jonathan Maltus, the English vigneron behind Château Teyssier and Le Dome, his highly praised St.-Émilion red. World’s End wines are sourced from prestigious vineyards located on Napa Valley’s west facing slopes and from the valley floor. Maltus took the name World’s End from a district in Chelsea, London, where he and his wife Lyn first lived. And since 2008 he has been producing single-vineyard Napa wines that combine French-inspired winemaking with Napa terroir. An iconoclast since he bought Château Teyssier in 1994 and started shaking up the staid St.-Émilion wine world, Maltus continues his rebel ways at World’s End, naming each wine after a famous a rock ‘n roll song and offering quotes on his bottles from such musical icons as Bob Marley and Van Morrison. Maltus’ Napa wines have earned him his usual highly complimentary reviews. Reviewing the World’s End 2010 Syrah and Cabernet Franc blend at 95 pts, Robert Parker noted that “Maltus marches to the beat of a different drummer and clearly has something special on his hands.”

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.