2023 Carte Blanche Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet Sauvignon

Coming from a great valley floor site on the southern end of Oakville and aged 22 months in 75% new French oak, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper delivers darker fruit, crème de cassis, smoked tobacco, leafy herbs, espresso, and chocolate. It's full-bodied, pure, focused, and balanced, with ripe tannins and a great finish. I always find a certain Bordeaux-like character from this site, and this beauty has it in spades. It will shine for 20 years.

All Cabernet Sauvignon (Clones 4 and 337) from this southern Oakville site on the western side of the valley, Carte Blanche's 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard easily combines ripe cherries with leather, gentle baking spices and hints of licorice and mocha. Medium- to full-bodied, this is lovely stuff, rich and velvety, without excess weight, and it possesses a long, echoing finish.