“Over the last four decades, I’ve walked almost every corner of the Napa Valley striving to understand exactly what makes a great wine. When I founded TOR Wines, the plan was simple. Our wines would come from only the best blocks in great vineyard sites I knew and revered." – Tor Kenward

The Wines

2018 Tor Chardonnay, Napa, Carneros | Rating: 91pts Robert Parker

The 2018 Chardonnay Napa Carneros wine is from three famous Chardonnay vineyards: 63% from Steve Beresini’s 30-year-old, dry-farmed heritage vines, 23% from Hyde vineyard and 14% from Durell vineyard. It sings of honey-drizzled peaches, honeydew melon and fresh guava with hints of cedar chest, orange blossoms and waxed lemons. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling stone fruit and savory flavors with a refreshing backbone and toasty kick to the finish. 470 cases produced.

2017 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville | Rating: 92+pts Robert Parker

This is the first time TOR has made a barrel selection from their Oakville vineyards, predominantly Tierra Roja in Oakville East. It is composed of barrels selected to reveal the "red-fruited, softer, juicier side of the Tierra Roja vineyard". Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon comes sashaying out of the glass with open-knit notes of warm red and black plums, kirsch and cassis with wafts of bay leaves, tar, underbrush and tilled soil. Medium-bodied, the palate has bold freshness and a firm frame of chewy tannins with a core of evocative, crunchy red and black fruits, finishing long and earthy. 350 cases produced.

2017 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon, Vine Hill Ranch | Rating: 96+pts Robert Parker 

This comes from the most gravelly block in Vine Hill Ranch, Block 7, planted to twenty-year-old vines. The wine sees "classic TOR winemaking" - about three weeks on skins during and post-fermentation. It was matured in a mix of Taransaud and Darnajou small French oak barrels for twenty months, then bottled without fining or filtration. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant black cherries, mulberries and boysenberries notes plus suggestions of pencil shavings, cigar box and cardamom. Medium to full bodied, the palate has an exhilarating, fantastically fine-grained texture, with seamless freshness and bags of black fruit flavors, finishing with a lively herbal lift. 202 cases produced.

2017 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon, Tierra Roja  | Rating: 93pts Robert Parker 

In 2017, for the first time, the Cabernet Sauvignon from Tierra Roja Vineyard was left on skins after the primary fermentation, "since it just kept getting better and better", according to Tor Kenward. It was aged in 100% new Taransaud barrels. Deep garnet purple in color, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, Tierra Roja Vineyard gives up pronounced cassis, red currant jelly, raspberry leaves and dusty earth scents with nuances of unsmoked cigars, wild thyme and lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate has a super-firm backbone of chewy tannins and great freshness with taut, tightly wound fruit, finishing on a lingering savory note. 250 cases produced.

 2017  TOR Proprietary Red, Oakville | Rating: 96pts Robert Parker 

This Proprietary red is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc and 25% Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot from Vine Hill Ranch were co-fermented. Then this co-ferment was blended with the Cabernet Franc early in the season. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Oakville Proprietary Red Wine comes strutting out of the glass with notions of baked plums, blackcurrant pastilles and wild blueberries plus hints of iron ore, tilled soil, bay leaves and tree bark with a touch of Sichuan pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegant, refreshing and crunchy, with tons of energy and a lovely chewy edge coming through on the finish. 125 cases produced.

2016 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville Hillside | Rating: 96pts Robert Parker 

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. The vineyard is dotted with big rocks, and the soil is roja (very red). This wine comes from the upper steep terraces of the vineyard, directly below Dalla Valle. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Hillside features red, black and blue fruits with floral and earthy nuances plus pencil shavings and a meaty/savory undercurrent. The palate is full-bodied, firm, grainy and lively with loads of earth and mineral layers. 447 cases produced.

2017 TOR Cabernet Sauvignon, Melanson  | Rating: 95pts Robert Parker 

Greg Melanson’s vineyard on Pritchard Hill is very steep, with rows running up and down the hill directly across from Colgin Winery. Beyond Colgin, its rocky face looks down at Napa Valley’s floor. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard offers a super-intense nose of warm cassis, blackberry pie, fresh blueberries and mulberries with touches of Ceylon tea, rose hips, asphalt and wild sage. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid line of firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the vibrant, fresh black and blue fruits, finishing long and earthy. 303 cases produced.

The Offer

2018 TOR • Chardonnay Napa Carneros - $60

2017 TOR • Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville - $95

2017 TOR • Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch - $225

2017 TOR • Cabernet Sauvignon Tierra Roja Vineyard - $155

2017 TOR • Oakville Proprietary Red - $225

2016 TOR • Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Hillside - $155

2017 TOR • Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard - $225