“Who is Sarah Francis? It’s about time we all found out.” – Robert Parker, 2015

Today’s Appy Hour exclusive is one for the record books and we’ll just say this - it will be one of the best Cabs you’ll drink all year, and possibly ever. No joke.

A $375, ultra-premium, Beckstoffer Georges III Cabernet from the epic 2019 vintage under $100?! It competes and possibly surpasses the very best out there - and at our price it’s in a league of its own.

CWA rated the previous vintage 99 points claiming it’s “truly dazzling as it reminds us of Cult Cabernets such as Harlan or Shafer Hillside Select” in their review. No reason to judge this any differently…

Normally available only directly from Sarah via allocation, or perhaps from a small list of restaurants like Cole’s Chop House in Napa or Evangeline in Calistoga. Production clocks in at a miniscule 75 cases or so - every bottle is even hand-numbered by Sarah herself.

Sarah was born in Texas, and at a young age she felt the pull of the grapevines in her grandmother’s garden. In 2008 she sold her house, cashed out her retirement, and left her job at Johnson and Johnson to go all in on a move to the Bay area.

Her persistence paid off. She connected with Andy Beckstoffer, who refused to sell her a barrel of To Kalon juice at first. She persisted, though and eventually won him over after agreeing to make a Burgundian Chardonnay from the Carneros Lake Vineyard. He granted her a few rows of grapes from the Georges III vineyard in Rutherford, and the rest is history.

In just five years she went from having no grapes, no label, and no actual wine to earning a perfect 100 points for the inaugural vintage of this same Cabernet from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. He praised its “100-point aromatics” and the “stunning, intense fruit and richness.”

Fermentation takes place entirely in the barrel. After hand destemming the fruit is put in the barrel with tops removed, and punched as needed. The barrels rest on oxo rollers where they’re spun three times a day to ensure even exposure to the oak and skin contact. After, the juice is racked back into barrels for malolactic fermentation and continued aging for as long as it takes - up to 30 months in some vintages.

Inky black in the glass, it unfurls massive aromatics as poured. This one, by the taste, seems positioned to come close to that same 100-point mark and we cannot imagine it earning anything less than 96-99 points. Massively concentrated and rich, with a front loader full of blueberry, blackberry, and cassis. It shines with layer upon layer of fruit, graphite, minerals, sweet violets, candied walnuts, and rich, toasty oak. A teeth-staining, mouthcoating masterpiece for sure!

Dollar for dollar this can’t be beat. If you can secure some, do it quickly. It will not last, and we may never see it again.