Beckstoffer Crimson Ridge Vineyard Crimson Veil
What happens when a group of wine mavericks bands together to disrupt the status quo in California? The iconic grape you may think you know, cabernet sauvignon, evolves into something distinctly new that’s ready to be sought after.
Crimson Veil is a new generation of ultra-premium California cabernet. A Taub family passion project born in the Beckstoffer Crimson Ridge Vineyard, it marks the first time legendary grower Andy Beckstoffer has added his name to a bottle of wine outside Napa County — a symbol of the important future in store for this still off-the-beaten-path place.
Crafted by third-generation Kirk Venge (named one of the “Top 20 New Winemakers in the World” by Food & Wine magazine) at Oakville’s B Cellars, Crimson Veil signifies the start of a new era in fine California wine where the territory is uncharted but the potential ripe for discovery.
“Lake County will be the next wine country,” Beckstoffer reckons. And “we’ve got the pearl of Red Hills.”
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Founded
1970 -
Location
California, United States of America -
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Welcome to Red Hills Lake County
Motor along the undulations of Highway 175, in the heart of the Red Hills Lake County AVA due north of Napa, and you’ll be treated to views of Mount Konocti rising up over the vineyard-studded hills. Its quiet, commanding stance belies the powerful eruption that happened here millions of years ago, leaving behind earth rich in minerals, made red with iron and flecked with gleaming obsidian. Tranquil though the setting may be, the land’s untapped and wild potential runs deep.
Potential Realized
What drew Andy Beckstoffer’s eye north to the Red Hills Lake County AVA?
With altitudes stretching from 2,000 to 2,500 feet, vines receive a just-right mix of dazzling daytime sun and bracingly chilly nights — just-right conditions for cabernet that coax thicker skins and higher phenolics out of the berries, while the lengthened ripening season encourages ever-deeper flavor complexity and aromatic intensity.
The crimson soils (where Beckstoffer Crimson Ridge Vineyard takes its name) are Benridge-Konocti, blanketed over slopes ranging from 15 to 30% grades.
The Benridge series consists of deep, well-drained loamy soils (ideal for cabernet) primarily comprising weathered dacite or pyroclastic tuff and breccia. The Konocti series consists of moderately deep, well-drained soils formed from material derived predominantly from andesite, basalt, and dacite.
The Legend of Andy Beckstoffer
He’s been called “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by the Wall Street Journal. His Beckstoffer Vineyards, was founded over five decades ago and is California’s largest private grower.
He is the man behind California’s most iconic — and coveted — cabernets. His name on a bottle is an emblem of prestige, one that’s highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts everywhere.
In short, Napa wouldn’t be Napa without Andy Beckstoffer.
He’s about to work that same game-changing magic in Napa’s northerly neighbor, Lake County
