“…there can never be predetermined limits to the number of wines that can receive 100-points from a great region in a great year such as the 2016 vintage in Napa Valley.” – Wine Advocate

Cabernet. 2016. TO KALON. Our price?! Have we gone mad?!!

We are fangirling HARD over this megalithic hulk of a wine. Where do we even start?

The price? $125 big ones OFF RETAIL?!

The vineyard? Only one of the best vineyards in Napa - TO KALON.

The 100pt winemaker?! More on that below.

With a nod to Jimmy Page this delivers WAY more on the “good times” than bad times. Honestly, it’s closer to stairway to heaven for us, especially considering the pedigree and price.

Leave it to Wine Spectator to sum it up: “To Kalon Vineyard has produced some of Napa Valley’s most esteemed - and highest priced - Cabernets.” In fact, they START at $200 a bottle, the top Schrader from the 2016 vintage would set you back $2,500.

World’s End is a project by winemaking force Jonathan Maltus. The man has a LONG list of 95-100-point wines. He emerged as a leading visionary from the 1990’s “garagiste” period in St. Emilion, where he pushed the limits and broke all the traditional rules to set new expectations for quality and price. He does it all, most notably across places like Le Dôme, Château Teyssier, and other top Right Bank estates. World’s End is his Napa project, and he’s connected with all the right vineyards for sourcing.

Otherworldly comparisons aside, this is a gargantuan power riff on Cabernet. A full throttle, drop a gear and bounce off the rev limiter effort. Brimming with blackberry compote, boysenberry jam, roasted coffee beans, shaved dark chocolate of the 85% Mexicana variety, a hint of eucalyptus or mint perhaps. My goodness! There’s SO much going on here.

It’s opulent but not globular, stacked but not sticky. The much-needed acidity keeps it all moving and the tannins are sturdy still yet softening up. Despite a few years in the bottle, it has a long road ahead. Get a few and drink one now, another in 2032 if you can wait that long. It will be rocking either way.

The 2019 was touted as “a stunning wine… a beauty” by Jeb Dunnuck. Wine Advocate loved the 2018 vintage “full-bodied, rich and velvety yet vibrant” and the (weaker) 2017 “from the valley’s most famous vineyard… full-bodied and velvety, with a long finish.” No wonder why the 2016, now with the advantage of bottle age, is such a showstopper!

For reasons we can’t be sure of, this was never sent in for scores but surely it deserves 95+ AT LEAST. A CellarTracker reviewer from January says, “like most offerings from Beckstoffer’s To Kalon plots, this is a muscular, full-bodied wine… aromas of plum, blueberry, boysenberry syrup (if you’ve been to an IHOP, you’ll understand), and camphor.” Need more be said?

A library release direct from the source, but not much to spare. Treat yourself while you can!