Press & Reviews

The 2017 Cabernet Franc Napa Valley shines on multiple fronts. Gorgeous notes of black and blue fruits, spring flowers, earth, and forest floor all define the bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, incredibly elegant, and seamless on the palate, it has ultra-fine tannins and is a quintessential Cabernet Franc with its elegance and complexity. It’s going to evolve for 10-15 years.

Lots of crushed berries and walnuts with hints of coffee beans that follow through to a medium to full body. Creamy tannins. Hint of dried chocolate. Drink or hold.

The 2017 Cabernet Franc is bold, juicy and aromatically expressive with sweet red berry fruit, espresso, mocha, licorice and floral notes. This is a very good varietal expression and is fully of energy. The Franc is a winner in this range from Amici; this is a very pretty and promising wine.

The 2017 Cabernet Franc Napa Valley comes from the Kenefick Ranch and Missouri Hopper vineyards and is a blend of 84% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot aged 18 months in 75% new French oak. Very deep purple-black in color, it leaps from the glass with Morello cherries, blackberry preserves, warm plums and blueberry compote with suggestions of wild sage and pencil shavings. Full-bodied, firm and with plenty of muscular fruit, it has a chewy texture and herbal lift on the finish.

This is polished and tight with attractive fruit and pretty floral character. Full body and flavors of dark berries and hints of stones. Drink or hold.

This is a tiny production red with great tannin structure and mouthfeel. Full and chewy yet has pretty blueberry and stone. Old vines develop intensity. Drink or hold.

A dose of 20% Cabernet Sauvignon supports this full-bodied, generous wine, perfumed in anise and black cherry. Inviting, it’s also grippy with good length and quite ripe, balanced between fruity, spicy and herbal, with a shock of black pepper on the finish.

The 2021 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard (which includes 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) has a pure, full-bodied, deep, beautifully layered style as well as classic floral and blue fruit-driven aromatics, some chocolaty oak, ripe tannins, and terrific overall balance. There are a scant 600 cases made, but it’s a beautiful, elegant, textbook Cabernet Franc from one of the Valley’s finest vineyards. It will drink well for two decades.

Blackberries, blackcurrants and violets. Very aromatic and glorious. So much graphite and wrought iron. Medium- to full-bodied, firm and fine velvet texture and a focused finish. Rather reserved now. 80% cabernet franc and 20% cabernet sauvignon.

The 2019 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc is composed of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a perfumed nose of redcurrants, black raspberries, and mulberries plus roses, underbrush, and wild thyme. Medium to full-bodied, it has an elegantly styled, fine-grained, lively line, leading to a long and mineral-laced finish.

The 2021 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is superb. Bright, punchy and vibrant, the To Kalon Franc dazzles in 2021. Inky red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, sweet spice and blood orange race out of the glass. Bright acids and beams of supporting tannin lend wonderful vibrancy and cut. This is such a gorgeous and promising wine. The blend is 76% Cabernet Franc and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon.

A blend of 76% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, from two blocks in this incredible vineyard, the 2021 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard sports a vivid purple hue as well as a thrilling nose of red and blue fruits, spring flowers, dark chocolate, and chalky minerality. These all carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has a fresh, focused, elegant mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, and outstanding length. It’s tight and closed, but I suspect it will put on weight over the course of its élevage.

The 2019 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard includes 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Matured, like the other Amici wines, for 22 months in 100% new French oak, the barrels have left an indelible signature of mocha, brown sugar and cedar atop the mixed red and black cherry fruit. A full-bodied and richly concentrated wine, with a ripe, velvety feel and ample length, it’s a superb effort.

The 2019 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc is composed of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a perfumed nose of redcurrants, black raspberries, and mulberries plus roses, underbrush, and wild thyme. Medium to full-bodied, it has an elegantly styled, fine-grained, lively line, leading to a long and mineral-laced finish.

The 2019 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is flat-out awesome, offering a full-bodied, powerful, yet almost weightless style as well as notes of black raspberries, cassis, flowers, damp earth, and vanilla bean. It’s layered, has silky tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. Including 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and brought up in new barrels, this is seriously good and has two decades of prime drinking ahead of it.

Composed of 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard sports a deep garnet-purple color. It shoots from the glass with very focused notions of baked black plums, candied violets, warm blueberries and Morello cherries with hints of aniseed and tar. Full-bodied, the palate is fantastically rich and concentrated, delivering a rock-solid backbone of super prim, wonderfully ripe tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long with impressive mineral, earth and exotic spice layers. 50 cases are due to be made. (Tasted as a barrel sample.)

The 2019 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is another hugely promising wine. Franc aromas and flavors literally scream out of the glass. A wine of energy, the 2019 possesses terrific balance from start to finish. Wild flowers, dried herbs, mocha and spice shape the striking finish.

Lastly, I loved the 2018 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard from barrel last year, and it showed even better from bottle. Revealing a dense purple color as well as textbook Cabernet Franc notes of blue fruits, spring flowers, forest floor, and camphor, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, an incredible sense of elegance and purity, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. Not far off a great vintage of Cheval Blanc, enjoy this incredible wine any time over the coming 15-20 years. Unfortunately, there are only 75 cases produced, so don’t miss a chance to grab a bottle if you can.

Fantastic aromas of crushed berry, blueberry and raspberry with some cassis. Gorgeous on the nose. It’s full-bodied, tight and layered with chewy, polished tannins. Reserved and very compact, focused nature. Very long finish. A solid, wonderfully crafted red. Give this time. Drink after 2024 and onwards.

Composed of 85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored, 2018 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard leaps from the glass with scents of Morello cherries, black cherries and black raspberries followed by a gorgeous emerging perfume of red roses, chocolate box and star anise plus a waft of pencil shavings. Full-bodied, rich and laden with perfumed black and red fruit preserves flavors, it has fantastically plush tannins and a refreshing line, finishing long and layered.

The 2018 Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is bright and aromatic, with tons of Franc character complementing the natural richness of To Kalon. Mocha, spice, leather, licorice and cedar accents play off a core of racy, red berry fruit. Time in the glass brings the aromatic presence and more mid-weight feel of Franc (relative to Cabernet Sauvignon).

The 2018 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Franc begins with inviting aromas of ripe dark berries, dark cherries and cassis, which are laced with exotic spices, tobacco and cigar box nuances all taking shape. On the palate this possesses a full body, which is well-structured and supported by velvety tannins. It displays notable concentration and depth with a core of ripe dark fruits and exotic spices that persist all the way through the long finish. Amici winemaker Tony Biagi has crafted a delicious Cabernet Franc which is accessible today, however I expect this will become even more compelling with just a few more years of bottle age.