Provenance Vineyards, June 21, 2013

www.provenancevineyards.com

I have a genetic defect inherited from my grandmother:  I cannot resist a good sale.  And provenance was having a sale this particular week, so I had to drop in for a tasting (just like in the Far Side cartoon where a large-bodied woman clings for life to a lamp post as she is mercilessly sucked into a candy shop).  In this case, they had their 2008 To Kalon Cabernet marked down 40%, along with a few other deals.  After tasting this wonderful wine, I felt compelled to pick up a bottle.  They had the 2010 Hewitt available for preview at 30% off, so my friend bought one of those (and I get to cellar it).  They also had some of their new releases open which I was looking forward to trying.

Looking down a row of vines at Provenance Vineyards

One of the features of many wine clubs is that you get access to the wine before it goes into general distribution.  One of the drawbacks of this perk is that the wines are not usually open in the tasting room when you pick them up.  To my good fortune, there were a number of new releases and previews open the day of my visit.  From the Provenance menu, I selected the (on sale) 2008 Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by the 2009 Beckstoffer TK2 Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2008 Three Palms Cabernet Sauvignon.  Of these, the 2009 TK2 was my favorite (and the most expensive).  Then I tried a three-vintage vertical of the Hewitt: 2007, 2008, and 2010, of which the 2007 remains my favorite (and my favorite of the day).


A full review was written already about Provenance Vineyards during my visit on February 8^th, 2012.