Boich Family Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Boich Family Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley's Oakville AVA, bottled at 15.5% ABV in a standard 750ml format. This single-vineyard wine earned 96 points from Jeb Dunnuck, reflecting the exceptional quality of the 2017 vintage from one of California's most storied vineyard sites.

Quick Facts: ABV: 15.5%  |  Origin: Oakville AVA, Napa Valley  |  Vintage: 2017  |  Winemaker: Jeff Ames  |  Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Production & Heritage

The Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard traces its origins to 1868, when H.W. Crabb — one of California's pioneering viticultural researchers — first planted vines on the site and named it after the ancient Greek phrase for "most beautiful." Boich Family Cellar belongs to a small, elite class of Napa vintners who produce wines from three of the six Beckstoffer Heritage Vineyards, and this To Kalon bottling represents the crown jewel of their lineup. Winemaker Jeff Ames aged the 2017 for 22 months in French oak barrels from the prestigious Taransaud and Darnajou cooperages, building structure and complexity without masking the vineyard's singular character.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with a big blast of red, blue, and black fruits layered with flowery incense and lead pencil shavings. Deeper breathing reveals lavender, fennel seed, and orange blossom — a fragrant, exotic profile that signals the wine's concentration and complexity.

Taste: On entry, dense plum and huckleberry fruit saturates the palate with immediate richness. The mid-palate unfolds with stick spice, cocoa bean, and baking spice notes, carried by a fleshy texture and chewy, well-structured tannins. Cedar and dried herb accents add savory depth that builds toward a dark, commanding peak.

Finish: The finish is long and persistent, with dark fruit and spice box lingering alongside traces of mulberry and dried herbs. Fine-grained tannins provide a polished framework that promises continued development in the bottle.

How to Drink Boich To Kalon 2017

A wine of this caliber and concentration is best served in a large-bowled Bordeaux glass at cellar temperature (60–65°F), allowing 30 to 60 minutes of decanting to fully open its aromatic layers. Enjoy it neat — this is a bottle meant for focused, unhurried sipping rather than mixing.

Best For

• Celebrating a milestone anniversary or career achievement
• Building a serious Napa Valley Cabernet cellar collection
• Gifting a collector who appreciates cult-status vineyard-designate wines
• Pairing with a prime dry-aged steak dinner or other high-end dining

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Boich To Kalon 2017 taste like? This is a full-bodied, richly concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon dominated by dark plum, huckleberry, and cocoa bean flavors with savory undertones of cedar, dried herbs, and baking spices. Chewy tannins and a fleshy texture give it weight and length.

How does Boich To Kalon compare to Screaming Eagle? Both wines occupy the top tier of Napa Valley cult Cabernet, but they differ in style — Screaming Eagle tends toward elegance and finesse, while Boich To Kalon 2017 leans into power and concentration at 15.5% ABV with 22 months of French oak. Screaming Eagle is significantly harder to acquire and commands higher secondary-market prices, though both draw from iconic vineyard sources.

Is Boich To Kalon 2017 good for cellaring? Yes — the wine's firm tannin structure, high concentration, and 96-point Jeb Dunnuck score suggest strong aging potential. Wines from Beckstoffer To Kalon in top vintages like 2017 typically reward 10 to 20 or more years of proper cellar storage.

Where is Boich To Kalon made? The grapes are sourced from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in the Oakville AVA of Napa Valley, California — a site first planted in 1868 and widely regarded as one of the most prestigious vineyard parcels in the United States. Winemaking is led by Jeff Ames for Boich Family Cellar.

What foods pair well with Boich To Kalon 2017? Dry-aged ribeye steak pairs naturally with the wine's dark fruit and tannic grip. Braised short ribs mirror its richness and spice. Roasted lamb rack with rosemary and garlic complements the herbal undertones. Hard aged cheeses like Comté or Parmigiano-Reggiano balance the wine's weight. Dark chocolate with a high cacao percentage echoes the cocoa bean notes on the palate.

What sizes does Boich To Kalon come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle, which is the most widely available format for this vineyard-designate bottling.

Is Boich To Kalon 2017 worth the price? This wine positions as an ultra-premium, cult-level Napa Cabernet — a category where pricing reflects vineyard prestige, limited production, and critical acclaim. A 96-point score from Jeb Dunnuck and fruit sourced from one of the world's most celebrated vineyard sites place it firmly among the elite wines in its class.

Why Boich To Kalon 2017?

Few vineyard names in American wine carry the historical weight of Beckstoffer To Kalon, and access to this fruit is tightly controlled among a handful of producers. The 2017 vintage delivered exceptional ripeness across Napa Valley, and Jeff Ames leveraged that quality with a focused winemaking approach — 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in top-tier French cooperage. The resulting 96-point score from Jeb Dunnuck places this among the strongest single-vintage expressions from Boich Family Cellar. For collectors and serious Cabernet drinkers, it represents a rare intersection of historical vineyard pedigree, accomplished winemaking, and a proven vintage.