So I know there are a couple of posts on this relatively new effort by David Beckstoffer and Benoit Touquette. From what I gather its from the old Hayne Vineyard in St Helena that they rechristened Bourne. Looks like a blend of mostly Cab with about 1/5th Petite Syrah. From CT reviews and critic ratings, looks like this wine is held in high regard.
I have gone ahead and procured a 3-pack of the '13 to be delivered when the weather cools. I am thinking that this endeavor could be one of the next big Napa Cabs (based on both resumes of both above), and if so, it would behoove me to load up a bit more on the epic 2013 and improve my place in line for future vintages.
My questions- has anyone had direct experience with the wines? Any wines that are fairly direct comparables? Thoughts WB Nation? Thanks in advance…
Good question, certainly has the potential given how talented Benoit is, and having a Beckstoffer name behind it. It’s a bit of a different wine though, as the Petite Sirah has a big impact on the wine (good for me), as it adds a wonderful savory element to the wine, but also a pretty firm structure that makes this is a bit tough when it’s young (needs LOTS of air). I had the 2012 a few times, and thought it was brimming with potential, but it needed time. The 2013 should be even better simply because they will have had 3 vintages under their belt, so another year of learning the lay of the land.
My wife and I have a few cases in our cellar as well as some large formats. David is a truly great guy and Kata is outstanding. Easily approachable with a decent decant, but will benefit greatly with time. We have opened 5-6 of the '11 and a few of the '12’s. All have been a great experience, and I would highly recommend snagging some up. We look forward to the '13 and can’t wait to pull a cork on their '13 Ghost Dog Petite Sirah.
Thanks you both for your responses. Just pulled trigger on another 3 pack, and will be hunting down some of the 2012’s. Not sure about 2011 since overall vintage was poor, but I have very little restraint when it comes to my wine ‘budget’, so if I find one I’ll probably grab it…
Thought they replanted the whole section they purchased, happy to be wrong on that part. New plantings definitely look to have red blotch throughout.
Happy to post a picture tomorrow when I drive past. Part of Bressler vineyard right next door was planted at the same time. Let’s just say the vines do not look anywhere near the same from a health standpoint.
Unfortunate news on the health of the vines. Would certainly be interested in a picture, Sarah, if possible.
We had the 2012 almost a year ago (October 2015) and it performed quite well. Was a bit outshined by the 2012 Schrader GIII that we opened next to it, but certainly held its own. Has a profile akin to Dr. Crane for me. And agree with the prior note on the PS adding a little punch.
Also tried the 2013 Ghost Dog about a month ago. Really a cool wine; something like 59% PS and the rest cab. Think it needs time in the bottle to round out and will try to use some patience with remaining bottles, but overall very happy with it.
From Google Earth historical images, it looks like most of the vineyard was replanted somewhere between the summer of 2012 and the summer of 2013. There are two sections that appear to have not been replanted and those sections must be where this wine is sourced from.
I believe the plot to the left is the original Cabernet area. Nickel and Nickel produces a Cab from the old Hayne Vineyard, so that’s probably what we are looking at. The razed area was the Petite Syrah that was replanted as Cab, and the lower plot was the PS that they kept.
It’s also worth noting that Beckstoffer only purchased a 13.25 acre portion of the Hayne Vineyard and renamed it Bourn. The other chunk is still called Hayne.
