It can’t possibly be coincidence that Andy Beckstoffer’s most well-known piece of wine country is rooted in viticultural history.  Since Civil War days, his 89 acres, known as the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, have been notable. A mix of sun-kissed sandy soil and fine vintage sediment left over from floods-past make high-quality grapes plentiful, especially when Beckstoffer has added new technology and technique to foster that growth.

Since the ‘70s, Beckstoffer has worked diligently to shine the California wine spotlight on what matters most: its grapes.  And, perhaps it’s his attention to all the conditions that lead to high-quality fruit that has more than 50 wineries as loyal customers, including Paul Hobbs, Bounty Hunter, Carter, Janzen, Provenance, Realm, Tor, Schrader and Waypoint.

Beckstoffer is now the largest independent grower on California’s North Coast, owning and farming more than 3,000 acres of vines in Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties.  Consequently, he has noted “his responsibility” for maintaining a higher standard in viticulture.  “We have to have something different, something better to recommend our grapes.  We have to have the best terroir, the best clones, the best trellising system.  And that’s a wonderful challenge to meet,” he said in Wines and Vines in 1994. 

From the start, Beckstoffer was looking at how best to approach rootstocks, grafting, trellising, pruning, soil compaction, irrigation and vine spacing.  He has weather sensors, moisture sensors and other technology to keep track of the grapes. Whether it is helping to control costs, knowing how to curb the nematodes and other pests, or preserving and protecting the land, Beckstoffer has led the way, which is a bit surprising when one considers his education was in engineering and business administration.

His environmentalist leanings have led him to take steps that break away from standard practice. Others seem to follow suit as he finds a better way for doing business.  From having one rootstock that is resistant to a nematode commonly found in the soil there to opting for a European approach to clean up scions, branches with new buds, rather than heat treatment, he considers how best to build wine character, rather than take it away.

Clearly, Beckstoffer’s work has paid off.  Wine connoisseurs recognize that his grapes mean quality wine. The reviews are quite clear.  In Wine Spectator’s recent ranking of California Cabernets, 16 of 20 wines with Beckstoffer grapes earned a rating above 92.  The other four were in the upper 80s. 

What does high quality cost?

In 1975, Beckstoffer started the Napa Valley Grape Growers Association with a primary goal being to organize and help develop pricing strategies collectively.  Grape growing just wasn’t profitable as wineries controlled negotiation, so producers were getting out of the market. 

He recommended basing the price of a ton of grapes on the future price of a bottle of wine.  According to his Web site, “Under his bottle price formula, wineries projected the retail price of the finished wine and agreed to a standard multiple for each grape variety.  If a winery planned to price a bottle of cabernet sauvignon at $10, and the standard multiple of that grape was 100, the price of the grape would be $1,000 a ton.”  Mondavi and Christian Brothers quickly adopted the formula, and grape growers were essentially back in business.

A bit of history

This emphasis on horticulture is nothing new at To Kalon.  The original owner, Hamilton Walker Crabb, is considered the “first true horticulturist involved in Napa Valley wine”; he grew more than 400 different grape varieties and was a research leader in developing rootstock resistant to phylloxera, a common grapevine pest.  Also, he was the one who coined the name, To Kalon, which is Greek for “the highest beauty” or “the highest good” in 1868 when he took ownership.

The interest in horticulture continued with To Kalon’s second owner, a banker, E.W. Churchill, who set aside land for the Department of Agriculture to do viticulture research in 1911. The University of California-Davis now has its Oakville Experimental Vineyard there designed to understand how field practices influence fruit composition and wine quality.  Beckstoffer additionally started clonal research for Cabernet on his tract in 1980.

Sunny days

So, what happens to the grape grower who seems to have it all?  He continues to look for technology to help him deal with whatever Mother Nature throws his way. These days, it is a winter heat wave.  The good news is a sunny, dry winter makes vines less susceptible to fungal disease eutypa and more time to get ahead on drip irrigation repair and pruning.  The bad news: it could force early buds and leave plants thirsty. 

Available at HinsdaleCellars.com:

The Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon is available at HinsdaleCellars.com. The last two vintages of  wine from the legendary original To Kalon vineyard have garnered Spectator ratings of 95 and 96 points respectively.  This wine is a seamless montage of cassis and dark berries, with alluring notes of spice inviting the senses ever deeper into the wine’s many-nuanced flavors. Dense and concentrated, this Cab delivers the size, length, and depth one would expect from a truly great wine. Avialable here for $147.99/bottle.

                                                                                                      – Ivy F. Kupec