I tried the latest release of Tor a few weeks back and was impressed, however looking at CT it does not seem like they have the best reviews as they age. Does anyone have any opinion on this?
Cheers
Jeff Ames still make these?
I liked his wines in the 3-5yr period. Seemed fresher then. A fan of the style when in the mood.
1 Like
Yes he does. That seems to be what I see on CT as well, after that period they don’t tend to hold to well together. However always get high critic scores. Just looking for confirmation. Thanks.
IMO ten years is fine. That’s as far out as I have gone and they were still fine. I m drinking some 16 now tried the 18 beckstoffer crane too young did not go near any of the VHR or black magic yet. I have found a bit of bottle variation the entry cab was again my opinion not a wine worth drinking
2 Likes
I wouldn’t say they fall apart. Just at a plateau. Not everything has to age forever.
I prefer a less flamboyant style but these are solidly made when you want the more forward style.
2 Likes
ok thanks for the feedback, do you have favourites which tend to be good after 5-10 years. I really enjoyed the To Kalon and VHR
Funny enough I was looking at their entry 2023 cabernet since I enjoyed their 2022 Cabernet.
Alexander. Please understand this is my opinion. Most certainly the 23 vintage should be better than the 22. If you enjoy it that’s really what matters.
1 Like
Of course, I just like to have an idea of drinking window, cheers!
They aren’t multi decade agers like say MACDONALD or Harlan, but in most vintages should hang in there for 5-10 years for sure… I have a friend in Napa who reps TOR, so if you’d like an intro, shoot me a PM.
1 Like
Visited in January, had a nice visit at Wheeler Farms where they make the wine. We tried the Vaca, Melanson, VHR, bFD Beckstoffer ToKalon, and the Black magic. It felt noticable on quality going up and up. Honestly did not care for the Vaca, felt the tannins were too rough and flavor was a little scattered, burnt. However, Melanson was amazing the smooth tannin profile full bodied great fruit against oak. The VHR was good but didn’t care for it compared to their Black Magic which as I remember was mainly their best barrels from VHR. That was incredible but came with a high price tag. The BFD block Beckstoffer To Kalon was phenomenal. Big black fruit but super smooth. We purchased some of that and the Melanson during our visit. Prior to this I’ve had the Cimmarossa Howell Mountain(no longer available) and Oakville (only sold in distribution I’m told). Both were incredible but this was also more than 5 years ago, but it did make me want to visit.
1 Like
This is great to know , thanks for the detailed notes. I typically will
Drink most Napa Cabernets at around the 10 year mark unless we are talking Spottswoode etc which can go the distance. Some notes I had read seemed to suggest they would not go that far, reading these posts gives me confidence they would. Thanks all again!