Beckstoffer To Kalon

Beckstoffer To Kalon

From a Legendary Vineyard

To Kalon: \TO ka∙lon\ noun: the ideal of physical and moral beauty especially as conceived by the philosophers of classical Greece.

It was also the ancient Greeks who first said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If that is true, then To Kalon Vineyard is aptly named and considered by countless people over many decades as the preeminent vineyard of Napa Valley. Realm has been fortunate to work with exceptional fruit from Beckstoffer To Kalon since we began making wine in 2002. Comprised of a portion of the historical To Kalon vineyard first planted to grapes in 1868, the 89-acre parcel was acquired by Andy Beckstoffer in 1993 and replanted using close spacing and modern trellising. Bordering Highway 29 and stretching west nearly to the Mayacamas Mountain range in the Oakville AVA, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard sits on a vast alluvial plain formed millions of years ago during a period of immense geologic activity. The site is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with several rows of Cabernet Franc at its westernmost edge. In 2007 the property was placed under a land conservation easement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development.

Beckstoffer To Kalon grapes are made available to a small number of boutique wine producers who fashion them into some of the highest quality wines Napa Valley has to offer. “The wines from To Kalon are so dense, so opulent,” says Winemaker Benoit Touquette. “When you look at it, it’s hard to put a finger on what makes this vineyard so special. But in the wine, its beauty is unmistakable.” Realm’s Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several blocks planted to Clones 4 and 337. The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Behind the Label: Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Appellation
Oakville

Vineyard/Blocks
A1, A2, B1, C1, C2, E2

Dominant Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon

Sense of Place

Western benchland of Oakville; the most historic and storied vineyard in Napa Valley going back to the 1860's

Distinguishing Characteristics
Red and black fruits; an extra dimension in the midpalate that we call baby fat; powerful tannins; overall opulence but with such class and pedigree

Production Volume
1,500 cases

First Vintage
2002

Julia Flynn Siler, The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty. Gotham Books, 2008.

Sandro Botticelli. The Birth of Venus. Circa 1485, Uffizi, Florence.

Albert Hofstadter and Richard Kuhns, Philosophies of Art and Beauty: Selected Readings in Aesthetics from Plato to Heidegger. The University of Chicago Press, 1964.

Alea Pinar Du Pre’s Venus is acrylic on canvas completed in 2021.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Label art for Beckstoffer To Kalon vintages 2012 - 2019.

The eye of pioneering educator Maria Montessori on the Italian 1000 Lire was the inspiration of our Beckstoffer To Kalon label vintages 2012 - 2019.

More Single Vineyards