Not too long ago, I was invited to partake in an online tasting of wines from Lake County, California. What? Where? Yeah. I know. Lake County is not on the tip of anyone’s tongue when it comes to California wine. In fact, I could count on one hand the number of wines that I have tried from Lake County.  

But.

There has been some significant investment in the area north of Napa County and east of Mendocino. Name the largest city in the county? Good luck. (It’s Clearlake, with a population of around 17,000, which is 1/5 of the size of Napa city and 1/10 of Santa Rosa in Sonoma).

But. Beckstoffer.

If you know anything about high-end Napa (which might be redundant) Cab, you know “Beckstoffer”. The Beckstoffers saw the promise of the terroir in what has become the Red Hills appellation in Lake County and started planting vineyards there in the late 1990s.

The Beckstoffer Crimson Ridge Vineyard, Red Hills, Lake County. From beckstoffervineyards.com

The wines are not cheap, but are a relatively good deal if you use top enp Napa Valley Cabernet as a yardstick. As for the quality? After this first forray into Lake County Cabs, I would say that these wines easily compete with their brethren from the south.

2022 Emerson Wines Cabernet Sauvignon At Large Amber Knolls Vineyard, Red Hills, Lake County, CA: Retail $84. Very Heavy Bottle (764g; 26.9oz). 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This At Large Cab, from the Amber Knolls Vineyard in Red Hills, is stunning. Inky dark, or even darker, in the glass with oodles of black (and some blue) fruit: blackberry, cassis, plum, blueberry, this is essentially a smorgasbord of dark fruit. Yowza. Add in some spice and considerable earth (dark, naturally), and an herbal note (somewhere between mint and basil), and we are ready to taste. So. This is not Napa. Not at all. Sure, it is dark, bold, and even big, but this is another animal. This, in fact, is what I want Napa Cab to be. Fruity, yes. Big, indeed. Bold, sure. But there is also an earthiness, an acknowledgment that this is, at its core, an agricultural product, something that comes from the earth. Don’t get me wrong, there are many incredible wines from Napa, truly amazing. But it seems to me (at least) that “Napa” has become more of a style than a sense of place. This At Large? It has more of a soul, more of a sense that this wine was a product of the vineyard, not a marketing decision. Is that harsh? Perhaps. But in many aspects, I feel Napa has lost its way and this might serve as a “correction” of sorts (at least I hope). Outstanding. 94 Points.

2023 Crimson Veil Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Crimson Ridge, Red Hills, Lake County, CA: Retail $80. Criminally Heavy Bottle (1009g; 35.5oz). Under cork. Shiner: the bottle was “labeled with a hand-written sticker. This is now my second foray into the Lake County, Red Hills appellation and I have to say, I really like it thus far. This wine comes from the Beckstoffer Vineyard (yes, that Beckstoffer) and I have to say, this is likely one of the best Cabs I have had all year. Inky dark in the glass with a complex nose of dark fruit (blackberry, plum, cassis), pencil shavings, toasted oak, and touches of forest floor. Yowza. The palate is rich, even close to really rich, with tons of that black fruit, but also some finesse, as the tart acidity knifes through the robust exterior. The tannins are silky but present, suggesting some mid-term cellaring potential. Holy cow, this is phenomenal. Outstanding. 97 Points.

2023 Beckstoffer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Block 1B Amber Knolls Vineyard, Red Hills, Lake County, CA: Retail: Not for sale. Heavy Bottle (647g; 22.8oz). If I understand this correctly, this wine was made by the Beckstoffer family as a sort of test wine, not made for sale but as an example of the wine that could be made from the relatively new(?) Beckstoffer Vineyard in Red Hills, Lake County, CA. This is now the third wine that I have tried that was part of an online tasting highlighting and promoting the region and the vineyard. Medium to dark in the glass with oodles of black and blue fruit, vanilla, a touch of spice, and oak. The palate is rich, just short of unctuous, with good fruit, balancing acidity, a touch of earth, and silky, integrated tannins. This is quite nice. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2022 Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Half Mile, Red Hills, Lake County, CA: Retail $80. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (). 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot, 6% Petite Sirah. This is the fourth bottle of Lake County Cabernet that I received, and while the bottle is firmly on the “stupid” side of the weight ledger, the wine is alluring. Inky dark in the glass, well on the way to brooding with aromas of blackberry, cassis, plum, black pepper, a slight herbal note (basil?), and subtle vanilla and oak. The palate is pretty darn tart from the jump, but tons of lucious fruit soon follow with a healthy tang, and plenty of intrigue. Yeah, this is a solid Cab by any measure, and while it is quite delicious now, it may improve slightly in the short term as it is rather nervous now. Excellent. 92 Points.