A best-barrel selection made by Thomas Rivers Brown and bottled in magnums, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is truly great stuff. Full-bodied, rich, velvety and all-enveloping, it delivers near-endless waves of black cherries, red raspberries and complex but gentle spice notes. Long and mouthwatering on the finish, it seamlessly eliminates any gap between power and elegance, leaving scant possible reaction except Wow!

This “Old Sparky” label comes from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon vineyard in Oakville, produced from clone 4 grown on the C1 block (12.5%), clone 4 from the C2 block (12.5%) and clone 6 (50%) and clone 337 (25%) from the B2 block. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged in 100% new Darnajou oak for 20 months. Very deep purple-black colored, the 2017 is redolent of raisin cake, hoisin, preserved plums and crème de cassis with a very provocative perfume of lilacs, cinnamon toast and camphor plus a touch of tilled soil. Full-bodied, the palate is pure seduction, with firm yet velvety tannins and the invigorating freshness lifting the background of all that rich, spicy black fruit, finishing very long. 431 cases were made.

A barrel selection coming from the best barrels of Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky has a deep garnet-purple color and savory/meaty nose of yeast extract, chargrill, sautéed herbs and smoked meat over a core of crème de cassis, cigar box, red currant jelly and wild blueberries plus a touch of powdered cinnamon. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is packed with black fruit preserves, savory and baking spice layers, with a very firm backbone and very long, multilayered finish. 438 cases produced.