Professional Reviews
Antonio Galloni
AG
95
"Saturated full ruby. Bright aromas of cassis, black cherry, menthol and mocha are complicated by subtle soil and spice tones. Wonderfully plush, seamless wine with terrific inner-mouth energy, clarity and peppery grip to its flavors of dark fruits, minerals, flowers and spices. The gripping tannins still need time to be absorbed. This highly complex, very long wine is quite claret-like in its refined grain, density without weight, savory character and finishing lift. Paul Hobbs told me that 2010 is not a growing season that he remembers fondly, noting 'the wrestle we had to do with the grapes due to lots of cool weather.' This was his only vintage of To Kalon that did not need any acidification, but he added that both the 2000 and 1999 vintages required very little. He describes this wine as Barishnikov-like, while the '09, a wine that he also calls one of his favorite vintages, is a bit chunkier, 'like a linebacker.' From a fairly small crop of 2.8 tons per acre." -Vinous
Robert Parker
RP
97
"A much darker and more virile wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard opens with beguiling aromatics that meld into a core of blue and black fruit, exotic spices, tar, smoke and violets. The 2010 boasts superb depth, power and richness in a weighty, brooding style that is the essence of To Kalon. A huge, intense finish rounds things out in style."
Wine Spectator
WS
94
"A pure and seamless red, offering fine aroma, texture, weight and focus, this features a core of dark berry, currant and wild berry flavors that glide across the palate with a Pinot Noir-like fleshiness. Oozes on the finish."
