Tasting Notes
Vinous 90+
Dark medium ruby. Good lift to the slightly inky aromas of blackberry, licorice, black pepper, mint and spices. Fairly dense but a bit hard-edged, with the flavors of blue and black fruits, peppery herbs, licorice, violet and bitter chocolate showing limited give. Nicely concentrated but a touch vegetal, conveying an impression of almost peppery acidity and finishing with firm-edged, slightly drying tannins and lingering notes of licorice and wet rock. This lighter-styled Cabernet is still awkward today: will it develop more sweetness and pliancy with additional bottle aging? Hobbs picked this fruit on October 19th, following a huge rainstorm on October 3 and a long period of unusually high humidity. He did heavy crop thinning, beginning in early July, in an attempt get the rest ripe, but the veraison still did not occur until late August. He ultimately got just 1.4 tons of fruit per acre (the lowest yield of all of the vintages I tasted in March), which he described as "still not completely ripe." (14.7% alcohol; 3.65 pH; 6.0 g/l acidity)
Anticipated maturity: 2021-2034
Robert Parker 92
Paul Hobbs has exploited the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard as well as anybody (with the possible exception of the Schraders), and his 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is more narrowly framed than usual, but it remains a powerful, impressive 2011. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by copious aromas of cassis, licorice, Christmas fruitcake, earth and spice. With the finest texture and sweetness of all the 2011 Hobbs cuvees, it is expansive, rich and surprisingly strong as well as long. Enjoy this beauty over the next 10-15 years. Looking at several 2012 barrel samples reinforces the true greatness of this vintage in Napa Valley. The first-growth Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in the hands of Paul Hobbs can be magical and I had high expectations for the 2012 version. Tel. (707) 824-9879
Anticipated maturity: 2013-2028
