What does Beckstoffer mean on a Napa fine wine label? One thing to be sure, if you see the name Beckstoffer on a bottle of Napa red, it is a guarantee of quality that is to come with, in the minds of both Beckstoffer the grape grower and whoever who’s making the wines from those grapes, a fair price. The notion of fair price and matching quality has long been a controversial topic in the world of wines. Given that Beckstoffer is indisputably considered Napa Valley’s most powerful grape grower, and his customers are almost exclusively top Napa wineries, this price-to-quality debate only gets more debatable. Especially since Beckstoffer devises an intricate pricing scheme to charge for their grapes. Whilst in the world of wines, grape farmers usually sell their grapes at a static offer i.e. certain single price point per tonne or kg; Beckstoffer asks their winery buyers to go profit sharing with them i.e. as a grower, they ask for 26% of the selling price of the wines crafted from their grapes.

In collaboration with PricewaterhouseCooper consulting, Beckstoffer found out that a premium winery normally spent 26% of the wholesale price per bottle on procuring grapes. Now if the wholesale price is USD 50, the ratio’s about right over decades. However, if you are to apply that to retail price of USD 350, this most certainly mean that as grape grower, Beckstoffer gets to take a much bigger cut in absolute value. To put things in a bigger picture, the price per ton of Cabernet Sauvignon from To Kalon, one of Beckstoffer’s most prized vineyard, is on average at least 25 times (going all the way up to 50 times) more expensive than the average price of wine grapes all across California.

Is it fair – one would ask? Proponents would say that if end consumers are happy to pay USD 350, without undermining the role of winemaker, it naturally means that the grapes going into it are of distinctively better quality. So yes, why shouldn’t the grape grower be paid a premium for their superior harvest? Opponents question whether this changed the game of wine entirely by way of celebrating exclusive access over accessibility – not only between producer and consumer, but also between producer and their supplier i.e. grape growers. How much should people – drinkers or producers alike – pay for materials that make up of their haute couture bottles? No doubt Beckstoffer has disrupted how things normally work in the world of grape growing and selling. And that Napa wineries who manage to get their hands on Beckstoffer-grown grapes not only put the vineyard name on the bottle, but the grower name as well. For Beckstoffer has become a synonym of “cult grapes” of Napa.

Take a look at all the Napa Cabernets raised from Beckstoffer-grown grapes on WWX today and find out more about each of Beckstoffer’s prized vineyards below.

Beckstoffer heritage vineyards

To Kalon – Oakville – 83 acres / 33 hectares
Perhaps the most famous of the Beckstoffer vineyards, Beckstoffer To Kalon was purchased from Beaulieu Vineyard in 1993. Napa pioneer Hamilton Crabb first planted the vineyard in 1868, and it has produced some of the Napa Valley’s best red grapes ever since. Replanted in 1994 to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with modern trellising and closer vine spacing, the vineyard produces several highly coveted vineyard-designated wines.

Georges III – Rutherford – 300 acres / 121 hectares
Historical records show that a portion of this vineyard was planted in 1895 by Mrs. Thomas Rutherford. This 300-acre parcel was first purchased by Beaulieu founder Georges de Latour in 1928 and called Beaulieu Vineyard #3. It was the home to BV’s Rutherford Cabernets made by the renowned winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff. These wines achieved wide acclaim in the 1960’s and 70’s, establishing BV’s pre-eminence in the making of fine Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Purchased by Beckstoffer Vineyards in 1988, the vineyard was replanted using new Cabernet Sauvignon clones with tighter spacing and advanced trellising systems, enhancing quality and efficient modern farming. Today, Georges III Vineyard is home to the main offices of Beckstoffer Vineyards.

Dr Crane – St Helena – 21 acres / 8.5 hectares
Napa pioneer Dr. George Belden Crane originally planted Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard in 1858. During the 1920s the Chinatown of the City of St. Helena was located on the site. Acquired by Beckstoffer Vineyards in 1997, the gravelly, loam soils of this vineyard were replanted in 1998 to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc varietals.

Las Piedras – St Helena – 25 acres / 10 hectares
Planted to vineyard for over 150 years, Beckstoffer Las Piedras traces its history back to the original Mexican land grants. In the 1840’s, European settler Edward Bale was given property as wedding gift from General Vallejo and planted it to Mission grapes. It became the first vineyard planted in what is now the St. Helena appellation. The vineyard was first planted to wine grape varietals by Henry Amstutz, a colleague of Henry Pallet, one of California’s first great winemakers, who established one of the first wineries in the Valley on the adjoining property in 1860. In 1983 Beckstoffer Vineyards purchased the property and planted it to two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. Impressed with the quality of the gravelly soil, the farm workers named the vineyard Las Piedras, which means little pebbles.