If I had to pick a wine of the vintage at this point, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard would certainly be one of the top choices. Always a barrel selection (mostly clone 6 and clone 4), it offers extraordinary notes of exotic blue fruits, white flowers, graphite, wet stone-like minerality, and loads of violets. Possessing full-bodied richness and depth, it hits the palate with loads of fruit and texture as well as seamless tannins and integrated acidity. As with the other top wines here, it has that magical mix of richness and elegance that’s the hallmark of all great wines. Aged 20 months in 100% new oak, it’s worth hiding bottles for 4-5 years and it’s going to evolve for 20-25 years or more. Hats off to winemaker Thomas Brown for the talent to produce a wine of this quality in such a challenging vintage.

This “Old Sparky” label comes from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon vineyard in Oakville, produced from clone 4 grown on the C1 block (12.5%), clone 4 from the C2 block (12.5%) and clone 6 (50%) and clone 337 (25%) from the B2 block. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged in 100% new Darnajou oak for 20 months. Very deep purple-black colored, the 2017 is redolent of raisin cake, hoisin, preserved plums and crème de cassis with a very provocative perfume of lilacs, cinnamon toast and camphor plus a touch of tilled soil. Full-bodied, the palate is pure seduction, with firm yet velvety tannins and the invigorating freshness lifting the background of all that rich, spicy black fruit, finishing very long. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown