Carte Blanche, Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2019

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 nose leaps from the glass showing violets, red currant, black cherry, and boysenberry, underpinned by savory graphite, lead pencil and tobacco.  Ultra-silky on the palate, showing high notes of red currant and hints of cherry, to dark fruited blackberry and boysenberry, all seamlessly integrated with forest floor, graphite and spice box woven through the everlasting finish.

97+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard epitomizes the current state of plush, valley-floor Napa Cabernet. From a famous Oakville site nestled up against the Mayacamas, it's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (Clones 4 and 337) yet wonderfully lush and velvety. Cassis and black cherry fruit is cosseted by 100% new French oak, adding gentle vanilla and cedar nuances on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is really deep and intense yet manages to be soft and elegant on the long, mouthwatering finish.

97 Points - Vinous
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper is fabulous. Rich, inky and deeply layered, the 2019 possesses tremendous density and vibrancy to march. Copious blue purplish fruit, gravel, licorice, menthol, violet and spice race across the palate in this sumptuous, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. There's plenty of structure, but the tannins are nearly buried by the sheer luxuriousness of the fruit.

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
In the same ballpark quality-wise as the 2018, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is more open and sexy, with a mostly opaque ruby/plum color as well as a great bouquet of ripe red and black currants, lead pencil shavings, spice box, tobacco, and hints of violets. Incredibly perfumed and already complex, it's full-bodied on the palate, has a round, expansive mouthfeel, velvety tannins, and a great finish. As with many 2019s, it doesn't have the precision of the 2018 yet brings more mid-palate flesh and density. It's a beautiful, layered, rich, yet also elegant Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy over the coming 20 years.

96 Points - Wine Spectator
This version is well-packed with dark currant, fig and boysenberry compote flavors, supported by hints of charcoal, roasted apple wood and warm earth. Muscular and grippy, with an espresso crema accent on the finish. For fans of the big, muscular style. Best from 2024 through 2038. 500 cases made.

Product size: 750ml