Tor
“Making wine is not only magical, it challenges you in every way . . . it’s a huge leap of
faith. . . you take a piece of land, you nurture it, you make the best guess you can . . . and you really don’t know whether that site is truly magical or can produce great wine . . . until 8 to 10 years have passed. They’re living things . . . and they’re changing, as we change . . . The wines I’m making right now, I’m assuming a good number of them are going to outlive me . . . I’ve been doing this close to 40 years now and I’d like to think that I’ve learned something every time I’ve gone into that classroom. It gives us pause . . . it gives us reflection . . . it extends a meal, extends time together . . . Water separates the continents, wine brings them together.” Tor Kenward
Tor, you see, is equal parts mystic, scientist, artist, music aficionado, lover of fine food, businessman and student of nature. As we taste through the Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons that he makes with winemaker Jeff Ames, there’s a strong voice that comes through in each glass—each wine is distinct, powerful in character, rich with vibrancy . . . a largesse of personality. There are no weak wines; insipidness and reticence are a sin in the house of Tor. This is indisputable: Tor knows a great vineyard. He works with some of the best grapes on the planet. That’s what a great producer does—combination of instinct and knowledge to be able to recognize the best, and then the talent to bring out the best from the best. That’s why George Martin was considered the fifth Beatle. That’s why Dre is the man behind N.W.A. and Eminem. And that’s what makes Tor Kenward straight out of Napa.
2014 was a great vintage for red wines produced by Tor. His wines are highly rated and sold out quickly. I was able to get an order in the day of his release party which featured these incredible wines. Unfortunately, I was sadly shut out of the 2014 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cab. However, there are a couple of new vineyards on this year’s offer and ssshhhhh….a little secret…..the Napa Cab has a chunk of To Kalon fruit.
The Wines
2014 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
Tor only makes a “Napa Valley” bottling when he feels that the sum of the parts are equally as brilliant as any one of our single vineyard wines. To get to that end, he tastes and works with all of his vineyards – To Kalon, Melanson, Tierra Roja, Cimarossa, Herb Lamb, and Vine Hill Ranch – to find the right blend. In 2014 it is predominately Melanson Vineyard and smaller percentages of the others.
The 2014 Napa Cabernet again shows what was best about the 2014 vintage with the sweet/forward fruit of the vintage. The palate is medium/full weight with very round and unobtrusive tannins. This shows a great mix of both red and black fruits with red cherries, blueberries, black raspberries and bright focusing acidity. This is a fantastic introduction to both the 2014 vintage and TOR Cabernets.
2014 Tierra Roja Cabernet Sauvignon
Drive the Oakville Cross Road to the Silverado Trail then look directly forward and up and you see Tierra Roja, a small four acre jewel of a hillside vineyard. Great neighbors – Backus, Screaming Eagle, Maya and Rudd. The vineyard is dotted with big rocks, and the soil is definitely roja (very red). You might expect the wines to be massive, but they are very perfumed, dark, and complex - more like Screaming Eagle than neighbor Dalla Valle.
The 2014 Tierra Roja continues a run of amazing Cabernets off of this singular site in the Eastern Oakville hillsides. Anyone who looks at this site, be they winemakers or newbies, understands just why these wines are so amazing. The slope, exposure and red rocky soils are just like heaven to Cabernet. This always shows a wonderful mix of red and black fruits and has such tremendous balance that there is no real beginning, middle or end. It is just an impression of seamless sweet Cabernet fruit with a bright lifted earth profile allied with blackberry, cassis and blueberry. This is easily one of the most amazing sites a Napa Cabernet can come from and the classic site where the goal is to just get out of the way and not screw it up.
2014 Proprietary Red
This is one of the most exciting wines Tor has made. It was born one long afternoon of tasting with winemaker Jeff Ames through their barrels in 2015. As you know they work with some very prestigious vineyards in Oakville; one with two small blocks of Cabernet Franc. In another west-side vineyard called Vine Hill Ranch we have a small block of Petit Verdot. In 2015 something happened that winemakers dream about one late morning after a lot of tasting. They made a sample blend of most all the Cabernet Franc and the Petit Verdot. It was a lark that turned into a beautiful swan. Both are Bordeaux varietals that typically have more angles than Cabernet Sauvignon, and the angles rarely all line up. This day they did, French kissed, and eloped. After the honeymoon, they quickly bottled the bliss, and added three barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Cabernet Franc vineyard to fill out the middle a tad more. Winemakers live for wines like this. It wasn’t planned. It came to us.
Another first for Tor, but given how magnificent this turned out, hopefully not the last time he will make this wine. The combination of West Oakville Cabernet, West Oakville Cabernet Franc and Vine Hill Ranch Petit Verdot has produced a wine unlike any other wines we made in 2014. This wine has the sweet core mid-palate from the Cabernet, the earthy/leather profile from the Cabernet Franc and the intense spice and mineral profile from the Vine Hill Ranch Petit Verdot. Think of this wine as a Haut Brion meets Oakville in all the best possible ways.
2014 Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon
The Herb Lamb Vineyard is located in a remarkable canyon area down Mund Road. It lies below the Howell Mountain appellation line yet above the St. Helena appellation line. The vineyards down this road are bathed in the more gentle morning light and are largely spared the big blasts of heat that the rest of the valley gets in the afternoon. This was first planted in 1988 and has since been inter planted with younger vines as the older plantings begin to fade. There are 3 distinct areas within the Herb Lamb vineyard-upper, middle, lower. It is the middle section that gets the most sunlight because of its position on the hill and its relation to the tree line. It is this middle/tenderloin section where Tor sources this Cabernet. The Herb Lamb vineyard has a history of producing some of the most distinct wines in the Napa Valley and we are honored to be able to work with the small bit of fruit that we get.
The Herb Lamb Cabernet tastes like no other wine he has ever made. This shows its terroir perhaps more clearly than any other Cabernet from 2014. On the nose there is copious cassis, dark chocolate and unique to this site some hints of bay leaf. The palate is quite dense and rich but seems to be reaching back to an old world profile more so than the rest of the Cabernets. This exhibits more of the dusty/earthy side of Cabernet with hints of charcoal, lavender and bitter sweet chocolate….A beautiful and truly unique expression of Cabernet.
The Offer
Please note that wines are limited and quantities may be allocated to accommodate as many members as possible.
Other Tor Reds will be available at our 2017 Vintner Pour.
2014 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
$85
2014 Tierra Roja
$150
2014 Proprietary Red
$175
2014 Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon
$175
Ordering
For all questions and orders, contact Wine Director, Jeff McCarthy. Let us know if you would like your wine shipped or placed in your wine locker. Sales tax and appropriate shipping will be added to all orders. Allow 2-3 weeks for account processing and shipping. During extreme weather, wine orders may be held until it is safe to ship.
Jeff McCarthy, Wine Director
[email protected]
707.569.2906 |
