2017 Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is a standout and, as usual, has a Haut Brion-like earthy tobacco quality as well as stunning currant and blueberry fruits, full-bodied richness, plenty of ripe, building tannins, and a monster of a finish. It's a beautiful, elegant wine that's going to benefit from bottle age.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is a dark, virile wine, especially for this St. Helena site, where the Cabernet fruit typically tends to be much more seductive. Brooding in its flavor profile with huge, imposing tannins, the 2017 is going to need a number of years to reach its apex - and even then I don't expect that this wine will ever display much refinement. Black cherry, chocolate, leather, licorice and cloves all unfurl in the glass. Perhaps the 2017 is still recovering from its relatively recent bottling, but today, it is simply not easy to taste.
Very deep purple-black colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr Crane Vineyard comes bounding out of the glass with fantastically exuberant crème de cassis, blueberry pie and dark chocolate notes with hints of Morello cherries, tar and cedar chest plus a waft of cinnamon stick and violets. Full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness framing the vibrant, multilayered fruit, finishing on a persistent mineral note.