As great as past To Kalons have been it is very hard to single this out as the best but in a few years I would not be surprised to see it there. In addition the lift and freshness that the addition of the Franc added makes this perhaps the most food friendly To Kalon we have ever made. This years wine includes the largest percentage of Cabernet Franc that we have ever had in a To Kalon and wow what that did! This years version has all of the depth and richness that you expect from a To Kalon Cabernet but with much more refined tannins and a slight rosewater, tobacco edge that is not normally there. It is fun to sip, yet should age well for a few years.
The 2019 To Kalon Cabernet is truly unlike any other To Kalon we have made in 20 years. Inky dark in color, and supersaturated in flavor, this welcoming, generous wine bursts with blackberries, blueberries, mint and cinnamon notes that feel lush and rich on the palate. Matured in 100% Darnajou small French oak barrels for twenty months and bottled without fining or filtration. Dusty soils and tobacco leaf fill the nose with shades of anise and graphite, with ripe boysenberry cordial tones that all meld in the glass. Maybe this is because we thin each vine to one cluster per shoot, and most probably it is one that will be evolving for a very long time. The 2019 Vine Hill Ranch ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon is an inky, powerful western Oakville wine from this outstanding vintage. Often our To Kalons show a lot more fruit or “flesh” at this stage, but this one is darker and deeper than most we have made from our eight blocks in To Kalon.
