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Wine Description
The Story
To Kalon: \TO ka∙lon\ noun: the ideal of physical and moral beauty especially as conceived by the philosophers of classical Greece.
It was also the ancient Greeks who first said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If that is true, then To Kalon Vineyard is aptly named and considered by countless people over many decades as the preeminent vineyard of Napa Valley. Realm has been fortunate to work with exceptional fruit from Beckstoffer To Kalon since we began making wine in 2002. Comprised of a portion of the historical To Kalon vineyard first planted to grapes in 1868, the 89-acre parcel was acquired by Andy Beckstoffer in 1993 and replanted using close spacing and modern trellising. Bordering Highway 29 and stretching west nearly to the Mayacamas Mountain range in the Oakville AVA, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard sits on a vast alluvial plain formed millions of years ago during a period of immense geologic activity. The site is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with several rows of Cabernet Franc at its westernmost edge. In 2007 the property was placed under a land conservation easement that forever prohibits non-agricultural development.
Beckstoffer To Kalon grapes are made available to a small number of boutique wine producers who fashion them into some of the highest quality wines Napa Valley has to offer. “The wines from To Kalon are so dense, so opulent,” says Winemaker Benoit Touquette. “When you look at it, it’s hard to put a finger on what makes this vineyard so special. But in the wine, its beauty is unmistakable.” Realm’s Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several blocks planted to Clones 4 and 337. The wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine Information
The Name
Beckstoffer To Kalon is the vineyard in the Oakville AVA from which we source this single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. It is owned by Andy Beckstoffer. Planted in 1868, the vineyard was named To Kalon, a Greek term which means “ideal physical or moral beauty.”
The Label
To Kalon was the hardest label to figure out; how do you represent “ideal beauty” on a wine label? After all, isn’t beauty in the eye of the beholder? Aha…after six months of considering one concept after another, we had the nut of an idea. Yes, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder, so let’s put an eye on the label. It was the perfect concept for To Kalon in particular – a legendary vineyard whose “beauty” has been interpreted by so many different wineries, and “beheld” by so many fans. We found a well-circulated Italian 1000 Lira note - the one that features an intaglio print of pioneering educator Maria Montessori. The label art zeroes in and magnifies the “beholder’s” eye.
