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

By now a lot you already know who she is.

We have 10, yep, you read that right, TEN of her stunners up for grabs today…

A vertical of Beckstoffer Georges III from 2017 through 2022. And another vertical, Sage Ridge from 2017 to 2019. Plus, The Cowboy and some of her Faith’s Cuvée Blanc de Noirs bubbly.

The Cabs are the lowest we have ever seen, or will see them, from $300 down to $89. That’s a full 70% OFF. Gulp. Now back to bad news, THESE WILL GO FAST as they are the final bottles in her library, and the word on the street is that they are sadly pulling the plug on this project. Getting teary eyed…

The 2022 is a baby and full brawn powerhouse, but needs to mellow in the cellar. But when it does, it’s unapologetically confident and competes with and surpasses many of the very best out there, and at our price, it’s in a league of its own.

Ok so …Where were we?

You’ve seen hype, but just to give you a little more context… about where it is from: Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard is FAMOUS. It sits on the prestigious eastern edge of Rutherford, right next door to Caymus Winery, on 300 historic acres first planted back in 1895. This was Beaulieu Vineyard No. 3, the very site that once produced BV’s Georges de Latour Private Reserve. It’s one of only six vineyards in Beckstoffer’s exclusive Heritage Vineyard program, a very small, exclusive club of wineries that get this fruit!

Guess her connection with Andy Beckstoffer when she started out was indeed fruitful. 🍇😊 He only sells fruit from this site to select vintners. This vineyard gets big scores from high-end critics when made by a who’s who of vintners like Schrader, Realm, Myriad, Williams Selyem.

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 minuscule 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 of ripe black cherries and berry lead the way on the nose, joined by dusty earth, cinnamon, clove, and a whisper of cedar. A bright flicker of blood orange and mint cuts through, keeping things lifted rather than heavy. On the palate it’s full-bodied without ever tipping into massive or overly concentrated, instead showing a silky, restrained side of Cabernet, with fine, dusty tannins carrying it through a long, warm finish touched by vanilla. This one leans opulent. However, it is relatively young and didn’t reveal itself until about 4 hours after opening. But it is so worth the wait. Our lazy take - open it in the morning, pour a splash out and let it sit out. It will be ready by dinner. 😀

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.