S.S. Mandani

9.4

Honey, roses, apricot. Rosewater and shea butter. Creamy and flowery. Pure and pretty bouquet.

Pink orange hue. Just the perfect amount of carbonation. Fizzles off with just a bit of flowery sweetness. Beautiful, fun to drink wine that made us both smile as we enjoy our new apartment in downtown Manhattan overlooking the constellation of city lights south to north scattershot across the island that will once again, soon enough, sleep no more. — 6 years ago

Billy L.

9.6

Big, thick, densely concentrated Oakville Beckstoffer ToKalon, TRB Winemaker; Fred & Carol Schrader Kudos & hope Constellation Brands doesn’t Fuck this up going forward! Drink em’ & enjoy your Wine Cellars! Cheers 🍇🍷👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 — 6 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.4

Stunning, vibrant cider. Clean, tart and precise crabapple flavor revealing a tangle of deeper bittersweet notes, still under racy acidity. A constellation of red fruit and bittersweet aromatics. Really incredible cider and further proof of the potential of cider as wine. Interested to see how this would be after mellowing with a few years of age. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

This is surprisingly for sale through Delectable...buy a bottle. If you haven’t had a well made Napa Cabernet this old, it’s a fun & enjoyable experience. This is a library selection release and was it a steal for under $50. Its a very classic BV. Especially, for the time period. On the nose; notes of Cognac; which I get in older BV’s. Ripe & slightly baked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, rhubarb, figs, dates, cherries, dry, loamy, brown, top soil, steeped tea, dry & decayed brown florals with violets. The body is leaner to medium. Tannins completely resolved. There are noticeable tannins but it’s the acidity holding this wine together so well. The palate is ripe with baked fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, plum, rhubarb, figs, dates, cherries, strawberries, and notes of light blue fruit. Some black licorice, cognac notes are very present on the palate. Loamy, brown, top soil, steeped tea, soft spice, clove, used leather, very soft chalky volcanic minerals, crushed dry rocks, dry & decayed dark florals with violets. The acidity is like rain. The well balanced finish is long and beautiful. Photos of their tasting room on Hwy 29, Rutherford vineyard just after harvest and tasting room on 29. Producer notes and history... Beaulieu Vineyard BV is a vineyard near Rutherford, California locates in the Rutherford AVA. It was established by Georges de Latour and his wife Fernande in 1900. BV was an initial a purchase of 4 acres of land in 1900. Beaulieu Vineyard derives its name from the French phrase "Quel beau lieu" which translates in English as "What a beautiful place!". Legend has it that Fernande uttered these words when she first saw the land. The following year, they purchased a nearby winery originally built by California Statje Senator Seneca Ewer in 1885. De Latour's knowledge about phylloxera; which had ravaged many Napa Valley vineyard and his decision to import a rootstock variety resistant to the pest helped secure his stature as one of the early pioneers of California's wine industry. When Prohibition in the United States began in 1920, most wineries in the country were forced to close. However, Beaulieu smartly obtained a contract to supply sacramental wine to churches nationwide. The demand for such wine increased dramatically during the years of Prohibition and the winery repeatedly expanded. By the Repeal of Prohibition in 1933, production had grown to over 1 million US gallons per year. When Prohibition ended, Beaulieu hired Andre Tchelistcheff from France as winemaker and the quality of its wines increased significantly. Tchelistcheff also became a mentor to other important winemakers such as; Mike Grgich at Chateau Montelena who’s Chardonnay won (The Judgment of Paris), Joe Heitz of Heitz Wine Cellars, and Robert Mondavi. By the 1940s, Beaulieu wines were served at all major White House functions. In the mid-1940s, Beaulieu was owned by Marquis de Pins, whose wife was a member of the French wine-making de Latour family. In the 1950s and 1960s Beaulieu was considered one of the "big four" Napa Valley producers, along with Inglenook, Charles Krug (I have mad love for their 50’s & 60’s wines. Perhaps, their greatest period) and Louis Martini. The winery was purchased by international conglomerate Heublein Inc. in 1969. Heublein was later acquired by RJR Nabisco, then sold to Grand Metropolitan in 1987. Grand Metropolitan became Diageo in 1997 through a merger with Guinness and is now the largest multinational beer, wine and spirits company in the world. In 2016 Diageo sold Beaulieu Vineyard to Treasury Wine Estates. Between Treasury, Jackson Family Vineyards and Constellation, they own a huge chunk of the wine producing world. Beaulieu Vineyards is one of the largest land owners in Napa Valley with more 1,100 acres in vines. Their best parcels are located in the Rutherford appellation. They have plantings of all the major Bordeaux varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. They also have vineyards with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. In addition, they maintain a vineyard that is used to experiment with a wide variety of different grape varieties including; Carignane, Petite Sirah and Valdiguies. Today, Winemaker Jeffrey Stambor continues the tradition of finely crafted wines handed down to him by legendary BV winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff. — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Wonderful past weekend enjoying some lake time with my family. These TX summers are brutal, but some relaxation by the lake always helps!

My first time trying this and after hearing the recent news (Constellation has investment in Booker now, as well as this wine has dropped from $50 to $30 and My Favorite Neighbor has dropped from $70 to $50), this is pretty killer juice for the price. A blend of 65% cab, 20% Syrah, and rounded out by equal parts petit Verdot, Malbec and petite Sirah. Inky, dark, fresh squeezed fruits abound. Aromatically, it showed spice cake, cinnamon, and baked mixed berry pie. The Malbec and petite Sirah show up on the palate with a hint of licorice and black pepper spice. Charcoal, cedar and grilled blackberries. It’s rich and decadent with a big finish. Paired perfectly with marinated skirt steak. — 6 years ago

Phyllis Wood

9.0

A nice crisp pinot grigio. Good.for sipping — 7 years ago

Stanislav Lobanov

9.0

16.5/20 (90/100) Вино с ароматами сливового варенья, яблочного мармелада, сушёной вишни, ириски и хлебной корочки. Довольно кислотное с бархатистыми танинами. Очень хорошо. (25.09.17) — 8 years ago

Jeremy Bohrer

9.2

Still so fresh! — 9 years ago

Billy L.

9.6

2012 TOR Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker-@Jeff Ames
Owner- @Tor Kenward
Pop N Pour
Robert Parker scored it 96 points in 2014;
seems right after a few years of cellar aging.

Classic Oakville To Kalon dark fruits, deep concentration, lots of glycerin, almost black in the glass, classic loamy dirt aromatics, first taste is total satisfaction! Keeps getting better with each sip, opening up nicely with time & more oxidation. Kudos to Tor Kenward & Jeff Ames on this effort! I look forward to the 2015
version of this wine upon release in the future.

On this day 6/16/2017 Fred & Carol Schrader sold Schrader Cellars to Constellation Brands; it's only fitting to enjoy a To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon!
Cheers! 🍇🍷👍
— 9 years ago

Jean Pedigo

9.2

Yes yes yes! Orion is not a constellation but a god! Fab juice from Russell Family Vineyards and the King of Syrah, Carl Bowker of Caliza Vineyards — 9 years ago

Mark Wilson

9.2

Almost identical to Meiomi which is the Pinot made by same winery as Caymus. They sold Meiomi to constellation brands and came up with Tuli to replace it. Very smooth nice after taste. — 11 years ago

Carlo Mondavi

Owner/Winegrower RAEN Winery, Partner Continuum

9.5

Beautiful wine... I was in the cellar this year and remember how healthy the fruit and vineyard was... Chiseled rows by hand... This was back when my father was in charge of the vineyard and cellar. Farming was pure and clean. It's disappointing to see how the farming has changed post 2004 (after constellation took over)... With that said you can still find beautiful organic farming adjacent to where this came from via @Graeme MacDonald To Kalon vineyard (not named To Kalon even though it is historically a To Kalon Vinyard and site). That along with a few others are the real To Kalon and real wines worthy of collecting in this area today... But this wine was delicious. — 11 years ago

Max Kelly

9.5

This was fascinating to follow as it changed over the 9+ hours from decanting to the last drop. Initially funky and volatile, it turned hard and ferric, dried out with no fruit around two hours in. Then gradually opening up, with sweet dark berry fruit, leather and a ferric frame. Over the ensuing hours blood and game, iron, earth, and rosemary/minty notes came and went in a changing constellation of flavors. Still delicious on the last drop, showing a little tannic grip despite 40 years of age. Thanks to Chambers Street Wine for the great recommendation. — 6 years ago

Geoffrey Green

9.8

Plum, bing cherry, prune raisin—all with classic structure & finesse. From magnum, relished over two days. Who says you can’t age Zinfandel? The last single vineyard zin before the sale to Constellation. — 6 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.3

Flint, smoke, tea leaves, fresh herbs, lemon zest, lime, peach, hints of tropical. High acidity, pronounced intensity, long finish. A thing of beauty. — 7 years ago

Stanislav Lobanov

9.0

16.5/20 (90/100) Элегантный аромат с нотами мёда, ананасов, спелой груши и цветов. Легкое с высокой кислотностью. Вкус довольно насыщенный с заметной горчинкой. Свежее вино, не лишенное некоторой комплексности. — 8 years ago

Tierney H

9.0

Clean, crisp. Purchased from the vineyard — 9 years ago

Jimmy Miramontes

9.0

I've stayed away from most Constellation brand wines for a while now. Franciscan, in particular, was one of their properties which I've always felt they were missing the mark on as it just wasn't living up to their potential, imho. But, I was pleasantly surprised by their current releases on a recent trip up. So, tonight, I had the 2014 vintage with a NY steak & roasted asparagus. The wine was very fruit forward & had good tannins. I still think Franciscan could do better, overall, but definite improvement from, say, 10 yrs ago. — 9 years ago

with Gabriella

Oliver Seaman

9.7

“The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars.”

― Benjamin Franklin, circa 1700s — 9 years ago

Corey Zamora, CSW

9.1

The acid level balances out the fruit here nicely. Not bad for a constellation property. — 11 years ago