Winery Owner Tor Kenward: Why Beckstoffer To Kalon Cab is Worth Seeking
Location. Location. Location.
That is almost all you need to know about what makes our Beckstoffer To Kalon Clone 6 Cabernet sing. The To Kalon vineyard was first planted over a century ago on the west side of the Oakville bench, and wines made from its grapes won prizes from the beginning.
Essentially, the land is center cut, grade A, prime – the tenderloin of the Oakville appellation. You’ve probably seen the vineyard on the west side of Hwy 29 – just south of Mondavi Winery, across from the Oakville Grocery. Like the First Growths of Bordeaux, the To Kalon vineyard sits on a bench that slopes slightly downward. (The higher blocks are possibly the best.) The soil is full of lots of rock, but it’s well drained.
The grapes that we use to make our wine comes from the shyest clone in the vineyard, Clone 6. These vines barely set a decent crop in most years (sometimes we harvest less than an acre) – but the fruit that this patch of land produces is very floral, intense, concentrated, beautiful.
I think there is no argument – this is a Napa Valley First Growth vineyard and our block in it – planted to Clone 6 – may be the most noble, most expressive in the vineyard.
Try a bottle and let me know what you think.
Tor Kenward is the proprietor of Kenward Family Wines