Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Missouri Hopper Cabernet Sauvignon offers a gorgeous perfume of kirsch, black raspberries, roses, and redcurrant over a classic cassis and cedar core. Medium to full-bodied, it is finely grained with firm yet approachable structure, leading to a long and minerally finish on this lovely wine.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it sashays out of the glass with flamboyant scents of licorice, Indian spices and forest floor over a core of blackberry pie, chocolate-covered cherries and crème de cassis. The full-bodied palate is laden with decadent black fruits and loads of spicy sparks, featuring beautiful tension and very fine tannins, finishing long and fragrant. 150 cases are due to be made. (Tasted as a barrel sample.)

Black plums, cassis, earth, tobacco, roasted espresso, chili chocolate and tomato leaves on the nose. Full-bodied, chewy and compact with firm tannins, yet elegant and cool. Pretty cabernet character with subtle leafiness to the dark fruit and chocolate. Classic Missouri Hopper flavors and nature. Try this from 2025.

Another tour de force is the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard, from a vineyard I continue to think is underrated. Blackcurrants, chocolate, tobacco, and a Graves-like earthiness all emerge from this full-bodied, beautifully layered, textured 2019 that’s already impossible to resist. Unfortunately, there are a scant 1,800 bottles made, but it’s well worth seeking out.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is wonderfully vivid, with a real sense of energy. Blue/purplish fruit, dried herbs, spice and wild flowers all come alive with a bit of coaxing. The 2019 is just a bit compact on the palate. It will be interesting to see if time helps flesh out the middle.

Regular drivers on Highway 29 will have seen the sign for this vineyard next to Brix. Like the other Amici wines, the oak signature evident in the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is distinctive, with notes of brown sugar and scorched coffee set against black cherries and cassis. Full-bodied, ripe and concentrated, this is a rich wine with a long future, despite the fact that it can be drunk now by tannin hounds.