“Winemaker Benoit Touquette hit a home run with the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, which is possibly the wine of the vintage. Based mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon from a magical, first growth site just outside of St. Helena, it reveals a deep purple hue as well as powerful notes of blackcurrant liqueur, chocolate, unsmoked tobacco, and gravelly earth. With its full-bodied richness, sweet tannins, and opulent texture, you’d never guess it came from the 2017 vintage. It’s a remarkable achievement for an incredibly talented team. I suspect it might close down with 2-4 years of bottle age, so I’d either try a bottle immediately on release or do your best to hold off for 7-8 years.” – Jeb Dunnuck. 6 bottles are available. 

“When drinking water, remember the source:” an old Chinese proverb that could apply to wine as easily as water. Located in what used to be St. Helena’s “Chinatown” in the 1920’s, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard now sits in a residential neighborhood on the west side of town, an unassuming site bordered by an old riverbed and a rock quarry. The vineyard was originally planted in 1858 by San Franciscan Dr. George Belden Crane; today it is owned by Andy Beckstoffer, who replanted it to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in 1998. With extremely well-drained, gravelly soils, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane is undoubtedly one of the finest vineyards in St. Helena, and its wines are unmistakable. “You know it when you smell it,” says Winemaker Benoit Touquette. “Dr. Crane has everything you look for -- minerality, complexity, excellent fruit definition, good tannin structure; a complete wine with many layers.” Realm’s Dr. Crane is predominantly (@ 95%) Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 6 blended with a small amount of Petit Verdot.