TOR

I have long admired the wines of Tor Kenward. Although I admit to trying them at not your typical locations. Several years back I was in London for business and I walked into one of the world’s great wine shops in Mayfair. Hedonism Wines. Downstairs they have roughly thirty wines on Enomatic, including iconic wines like Chateau D’Yquem, Sine Qua Non, etc. Under one of the machines was an aged TOR Chardonnay. Sampling that wine I was so impressed with the level of refinement, with everything just right in balance — fruit, non-fruit, earthy tones, viscosity and tension. I remember thinking to myself ‘Wow, TOR makes some incredible reds but he makes a really superlative Chardonnay.’

You might not know that Tor spent 26 years with Beringer Vineyards, becoming their vice president. Tor was an instrumental figure in building that brand into a national icon before retiring in 2001. For years the Beringer Reserve wines were truly some of the finest in Napa and Tor played a major role in that project. Beringer actually paid for Tor to study viticulture and enology following his retirement, as Tor built his brand as an ultra-premium producer single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, sourcing from the top blocks within premium sites throughout Napa Valley. The current TOR lineup sources from esteemed sites such as Beckstoffer’s To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch and Tierra Roja in Oakville, and Melanson on Pritchard Hill.

I was blown away with the new TOR wines. One of the outstanding Napa Chardonnays I have tried over the past year, the 2019 TOR ‘Twelve Barrels’ Chardonnay (OB, 95) is seamless, showing incredible texture, viscosity and freshness. Even better is the sinfully good 2018 TOR ‘Tierra Roja Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 97) which screams terroir with its scorched earth tones and loamy soil with espresso bean flavors. This is one for any serious collector of Napa Cabernet. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://torwines.com Here are the gorgeous new wines by TOR. 

2019 TOR ‘Twelve Barrels Carneros’ Chardonnay- The 2019 TOR ‘Twelve Barrels’ Chardonnay shows up brightly once in the glass. Heady aromatics of bananas foster and ripe nectarine combine with baking spice infused Challah bread and shades of wild mushroom on this beautiful bouquet. Once on the mouth you experience an utterly seamless effect as this beautiful wine effortless glides across the mid-palate. Layers of banana and pineapple are woven together with minerals, damp earth and sourdough bread tones. The gratifying length here adds to the enjoyment. Gorgeous to savor in its youth, this outstanding new bottling will provide drinking enjoyment for at least another decade. Drink 2021-2035- 95

2018 TOR ‘Tierra Roja Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The utterly fantastic 2018 ‘Tierra Roja Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that quite simply screams terroir. The Tierra Roda vineyard is a four-acre hillside vineyard with close proximity to Screaming Eagle and Maya. The hedonistic nose really impresses as dark currents and scorched earth tones combine with dark chocolate covered espresso bean, loamy soils and shades of creosote. The palate brilliantly showcases power and finesse. This shows good weight but comes off as silky smooth, with layers of rich dark and blue fruits that mingle with minerals, sweet pipe tobacco, creosote, dark chocolate pie and damp loamy undertones. The long finish provides the perfect crescendo, as this beautiful 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon will enjoy a very long life ahead of it. Drink 2023-2045- 97

2018 TOR ‘Melanson Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The famed ‘Melanson Vineyard’ is located on Pritchard Hill, and is adjacent to Colgin Winery.  Set on Sobrante loam soil studded with volcanic rock high-elevation site has a great influence from costal breezes. Once on the nose this evokes seriously good aromatic range from loamy soils to blackberry compote and black tea with exotic spices, as well as tar and baking spice undertones that all meld in the glass. The palate is plush and seductive with a gorgeous, round mouthfeel. Layers of black and blue fruits collide with Turkish coffee, smoke, minerals and dark chocolate tones on the palate. Like the ‘Tierra Roja’ this shows wonderful length and persistence. Just slowly settling in, the brilliant 2018 Tor ‘Melanson Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon will provide drinking enjoyment for many decades to come. Drink 2023-2045- 96