Carte Blanche, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2021

Overview of the Wine 
Carte Blanche is Nicholas Allen’s (owner of Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut Brion!) Napa project, utilizing the very best vineyard sites and an elite winemaker, (and one of our all-time favorite people) Helen Keplinger. Nicholas’ family has been in the wine business for nearly a century, since his great grandfather, Clarence Dillon, acquired Chateau Haut-Brion in 1935, and from an early age he gained an exposure and appreciation in wine. Eventually, he was inspired to produce his own boutique label in Napa Valley and he sought out the very best terroir and locked in long-term contracts where he could control the farming.

Located north of the town of Yountville in the Oakville AVA, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper was originally part of a large piece of land owned by George C. Yount, from whom the town of Yountville takes its name. Purchased by Charles Hopper and given to his daughter Missouri in 1877, the land was planted to wine grapes and, as much of the Napa land was at that time, prunes and walnuts. In 1960, the land was purchased by Bruce Kelham as part of the historic Vine Hill Ranch. Purchased by Beckstoffer Vineyards from the Kelham family in 1996, the vineyard is today planted with multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  In 2002, the property was placed under a land conservation easement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development.

In 2002, the property was placed under a land conservation esaement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development.

Carte Blanche is owned by Nicholas Allen, owner of Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion in Bordeaux. Nicholas was dead set on creating a wine from Napa and he sought out the very best, hiring Helen Keplinger (Grace Family, Bryant, Kenzo) and sourcing upper-echelon fruit with Andy Beckstoffer's Missouri Hopper vineyard. Helen’s precision winemaking is on full display in this intensely complex, tightly wound, layered Cabernet. Large-scaled for sure, but with a wonderful sense of harmony and a real skyscraper in terms of verticality. We can’t stress it enough --- this is about as good as it gets for our taste.

Grape / Blend
100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Origin
Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has a dynamite nose of black and blue fruit, crushed rock, black peppercorn, and mission fig. Graphite, black licorice with uplifting notes of lilac and sage. The palate is gorgeous. A silky entry leads to a rich and full mid-palate loaded with blackberry, plum, graphite and savory notes of forest floor and spice box, ending in an ethereal and long finish. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
From a great valley floor site in Oakville that lies just south of Beckstoffer To Kalon, this wine shows a deep and profound purple color. Notes of lively blue fruits, allspice, graphite and toasty oak all leap from the glass. An opulent and full-bodied wine, it shows ideal balance on the palate - a mixture of great fruit, rounded tannins and natural acidity that results in a lengthy finish with a savory quality. This wine is pure pleasure and will surely be a favorite in your cellar over time.

Product size: 750ml