About Dr. Crane Vineyard
When drinking water, remember the source:” an old Chinese proverb that could apply to wine as easily as water. Located in what used to be St. Helena’s “Chinatown” in the 1920s, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard sits in a small, residential neighborhood on the west side of town, an unassuming site bordered by an old riverbed and a rock quarry. The vineyard was originally planted in 1858 by San Franciscan Dr. George Belden Crane; today it is owned by Andy Beckstoffer, who replanted it to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc in 1998. Its soils, primarily bale loam and river wash, are extremely rocky and well-drained, and its warm, valley floor microclimate lends itself to the Bordeaux varietals grown here.
With interesting parallels to Chateau Haut-Brion, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane is undoubtedly one of the finest vineyards in St. Helena, and its wines are unmistakable. “You know it when you smell it,” says Winemaker Benoit Touquette. “Dr. Crane has everything you look for -- minerality, complexity, excellent fruit definition, good tannin structure; a complete wine with many layers.” Realm sources from four blocks in Dr. Crane for a wine that is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 6 blended with a small amount of Petit Verdot.
About the Label:
The Name
Beckstoffer Dr. Crane is the vineyard in the St. Helena AVA from which we source this Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. It is owned by Andy Beckstoffer. The vineyard was originally planted in 1858 by Dr. George Belden Crane.
The Label
As with our previous Beckstoffer Dr. Crane label, the current label (first used with the 2021 vintage) honors the history of the Dr. Crane Vineyard, home to St. Helena’s Chinatown in the 19th century. The artwork, commissioned by Realm from the Chinese artist, Yang Jiechang, is entitled 17 White Clouds. It incorporates cranes – known to represent longevity and wisdom in Chinese culture – and a “scholar’s rock,” considered a source of energy and an image found in many poems and paintings. At Realm we think of this rock as signifying Dr. Crane’s inimitable “sense of place,” while the cranes are indicative of the wine’s longevity.
We discovered Yang Jiechang through a gallerist friend, and we are thrilled to have his artwork represented on one of Realm’s most distinguished wines. Yang’s compositions can be found in numerous private collections, and his art has been featured at renowned museums internationally for decades. We began collaborating with him in 2020, holding Zoom meetings with Yang (who speaks Chinese and French) and his wife (who speaks Chinese, French, English and German). Eventually we traveled to Paris where we met the artist at his studio. After learning more about Realm, he agreed to work with us.
Yang brings both Eastern and Western sensibilities to his art. In his paintings, he often works in monochromatic ink, a traditional Asian medium, but he brings a contemporary perspective to the time-honored tools and techniques of his home country. In this he reminds us of Realm’s approach to winemaking: one foot in tradition, the other in innovation.
At 40” x 38,” 17 White Clouds, ink and mineral colors on silk, was completed in 2021. It hangs in the Realm’s Whiskey Hotel.
100 Pts Jeb Dunnuck
Pure perfection in a glass, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Dr. Crane Vineyard is all varietal and comes from this remarkable site just outside St. Helena. A wine that offers incredible richness and depth while staying flawlessly balanced and weightless, it offers up a kaleidoscope-like array of blackcurrants, cassis, tobacco leaf, wildflowers, and scorched earth. As seamless and silky as they come, it has perfect tannins, that rare mix of power and elegance, and a monster of a finish. It doesn’t get any better in this reviewer’s opinion.
100 Pts Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr Crane Vineyard is opaque purple-black colored, prancing out of the glass with vibrant notions of blueberry preserves, black cherry compote and blackcurrant cordial, plus nuances of pencil lead, tapenade, violets, mocha and crushed rocks. The full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, featuring very firm, fine, densely pixilated Dr. Crane tannins and bold freshness supporting layer upon layer of crunchy black berries and minerals, featuring a firework display of fragrant earth and floral notes on the long, long, long finish. Right up there with Napa Valley’s greatest, this is going to be a legendary wine. Give it a good 5-7 years to really fan out and drink it over the next 30 years+.
