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WTN: Chateau Boswell Beckstoffer IV Napa Valley Cab 2004-a Great Winery

PostPosted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 12:18 pm
by Brian K Miller
Funny, funny name. "Chateau Boswell" just makes me giggle a bit.

Another bicycle ride, more beautiful fall colors (it's strange to see some vineyards are now leafless, while across the road the vines are still green), another small producer with an "open" sign at the driveway.

Brand new, baby cab-this small winery's first attempt at non-estate Cab.

This one will be a beauty, in my humble opinion. Given that drinking this now was infanticide-it had been in the bottle five months, basically. Still, the layers of complexity in this lovely Beckstoffer IV Cab, the winemaker said this was their first non-estate cab, suggest this will be a classic. Nice dark, ripe black fruit up front, but wait, this is no simple fruit bomb. Multiple layers of herbal savory goodness on the back of palette. Some American oak was used, so there was just a whisper of "caramel" toasted oak notes-but by no means were they dominant or at all annoying.

A very congenial place, small, tucked away tasting room in the middle of a working winery. The winemaker himself was doing the tastings on a Sunday. If the gentleman who was planning to vist Napa reads this thread, I would add this small winery on northern Silverado Trail (east of Saint Helena) to his "visit" list.

Re: WTN: Chateau Boswell Beckstoffer IV Napa Valley Cab 2004-a Great Winery

PostPosted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 12:32 pm
by Dale Williams
Is Beckstoffer IV a particular section of the Beckstoffer vineyard? Thanks for note

Re: WTN: Chateau Boswell Beckstoffer IV Napa Valley Cab 2004-a Great Winery

PostPosted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:07 pm
by Brian K Miller
My understanding is that yes, it is a particular block of Beckstoffer vineyards. According to the winemaker here, Mr. Beckstoffer owns 12,000 acres, so there are many, many "Beckstoffer vineyards." The "prestigious" pricey ones are the only ones listed on the labels, of course :lol:

I was also incorrect in one note: they use French oak. Maybe that's why the whisper of oak in the palette is not "annoying" because the French tends, I understand, to be a little more subtle.