A Beckstoffer Deep Dive: California’s Next Spot for Premium Cabernet Might Lie in Lake County

Many wine insiders know Andy Beckstoffer as the influential farmer behind some of the highest-scoring Cabernets in Napa Valley History. But as Joe Roberts recently discovered during a media tasting of wines from Beckstoffer’s vineyard holdings in the Red Hills Lake County AVA, Beckstoffer’s Midas touch (particularly with Cabernet Sauvignon) extends well beyond the storied Napa properties that are his modern claim to American winegrowing fame.

Do a quick search of the Cabernet Sauvignon wines made from Andy Beckstoffer’s Napa Valley vineyards, and you’ll be absolutely bombarded with stratospheric scores from wine critics. The appearance on the label of those vineyard names—Dr. Crane, Bourn, Georges III, To Kalon, Las Piedras, Missouri Hopper—almost guarantee lofty price tags and quickly dwindling inventory snatched up by Cab collectors.