Beckmen Vineyard Cuvee Le Bec Santa Ynez Valley 2020 (750ml)

 

Rated 92 Points by Vinous

 

The 2020 Cuvee Le Bec (51% Syrah, 38% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre, 5% Counoise) is fabulous.  Deep and inky, with terrific energy, the 2020 is so impressive.  Juicy black cherry, plum, licorice, leather, mocha and spice build effortlessly.  I would prefer to drink this bold, juicy red over the next handful of years, while the fruit remains vibrant.

 

Rated 91 Points & Editor’s Choice by Wine Enthusiast

 

This bottling always punches way above its price point, and this year's bolder blend of 51% Syrah, 38% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre and 5% Counoise is no different.  Aromas of rose petal, cinnamon, nutmeg and oak spice lead into a tense palate of baked plums and cardamom, with plenty of wood spice on the finish.  Editors' Choice

 

Beckmen Vineyard Cuvee Le Bec

 

Santa Ynez Valley 2020

 

The 2020 Cuvee le Bec is a blend of 51% Syrah, 38% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre, and 5% Counoise, with stunning and dense aromas of ripe red and black fruits, spices, and floral notes.  The mouth is filled with more dark fruits and spices which brighten on the back end as the Grenache and Counoise express themselves on the lifted finish.  Another very special vintage of the Cuvee le Bec, as balanced and delicious as ever!  Drink this now and over the next 12 years.

 

Winemaker Notes

 

Notes of blackberries, blue fruits, pepper, dark cherry, licorice, and roasted herbs.

 

Composition

 

51% Syrah, 38% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre, 5% Counoise

 

Alcohol:  15.0%

 

Winemaking & Aging

 

• 6 different Syrah clones, 3 different Grenache clones
• Syrah portion was handpicked and hand sorted on the sorting line and each individual clone was fermented with native yeast
• Grenache, Mourvedre, and Counoise were not sorted but they were fermented individually. Native yeast was used on these lots
• Two to three punch downs per day on all lots
• On skins from 7-18 days depending on the lot
• 15% new French oak 60-gallon barrels, 85% neutral French oak barrels and puncheon

 

 

Beckman Vineyards

 

After years as leaders and pioneers in the electronic music business, Tom and Judy Beckmen, joined by their youngest son Steve and more recently by their oldest son Jeff, set out to make wines as well-crafted and distinctive as the keyboards and synthesizers that built their successful careers as founders of Roland Corp, US.  The Beckmens have established themselves as a leading grower and producer in Santa Barbara County, crafting wines of critical acclaim that have been served in the finest restaurants and houses in the country (including the White House) since their inception in 1994.

 

Beckmen wines are crafted almost exclusively from their two vineyards, the Thomas and Judith Beckmen Estate Vineyard in Los Olivos District AVA and Purisima Mountain Vineyard in Ballard Canyon AVA.  With over 150 planted acres combined, the Beckmens look to continue their tradition of crafting world-class Santa Barbara wines and offering exceptional wine experiences at their beautiful winery in the Santa Ynez Valley.

 

The Wines

 

Beck­men Vine­yards wine is sold in 25+ mar­kets across the Unit­ed States and can be pur­chased at many inde­pen­dent wine shops and restau­rants.   

 

We craft wines that leave an impres­sion.  Enjoy our wine on its own to appre­ci­ate its com­plex­i­ty, or pair them with great food to enhance the expe­ri­ence and height­en your sat­is­fac­tion.   

 

Winemaking

 

The focus of Beckmen’s wine­mak­ing team is to draw out the dis­tinct qual­i­ties expressed by each grape vari­ety, and the unique char­ac­ter of both vine­yards, as they guide the grapes from vine­yard to bot­tle.  Each wine pro­gram is giv­en the same metic­u­lous atten­tion to detail that the vine­yards receive year round.  By mak­ing wine in small lots, we are able to cap­ture the indi­vid­u­al­i­ty of each par­tic­u­lar block in both of the vine­yards.  We blend most of our wines from this col­lec­tion of small lots, so that each wine has more depth and dis­tinct lay­ers of flavor.

 

Our wine­mak­ing is done through “smart inter­ven­tion­ism”.  We make the best deci­sions at every step in order to cre­ate wines that bal­ance depth of fla­vor, com­plex­i­ty, and the ele­gance our vine­yards nat­u­ral­ly possess.

 

We are Committed to Biodynamic Farming

 

Bio­dy­nam­ic farm­ing is organ­ic farm­ing, and then some.  We go beyond organ­ic farm­ing by treat­ing the farm as a liv­ing organ­ism: self-con­tained, self-sus­tain­ing, and fol­low­ing the cycles of nature.  We do not use her­bi­cides, insec­ti­cides, pes­ti­cides, or nitro­gen based fer­til­iz­er on our vineyards.

 

 

Rated 91 Points & Editor’s Choice by Wine Enthusiast

 

This bottling always punches way above its price point, and this year's bolder blend of 51% Syrah, 38% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre and 5% Counoise is no different.  Aromas of rose petal, cinnamon, nutmeg and oak spice lead into a tense palate of baked plums and cardamom, with plenty of wood spice on the finish.  Editors' Choice