2023 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer Las Piedras ‘La BAM’ Cabernet Sauvignon

JD97-99 My favorite of the Las Piedras releases, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard La BAM is just pure Napa Valley magic with its full-bodied, deep, concentrated yet weightless style. Giving up gorgeous darker, black currant and cassis fruits as well as scorched earth, graphite, and new leather, it has ripe, polished tannins, a terrific balance of freshness and richness, and a great finish. I’m not sure it’s going to match the 2021, but this is flat-out awesome juice.
Estate Notes: At the foot of Spring Mountain along the banks of Sulphur Springs Creek lies the Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard – a 22 acre site renowned for its naturally low yields and gravelly loam soil. These slightly less stressed vines are closer to the riverbed and sit on slightly more rocky and well-draining soil than the ‘La Verdad’ showcasing the vineyard’s unique earthy undertones. Like a smack in the face, ‘La BAM’, boasts a full rich bold palate of pure black currant fruit infused with graphite, exotic spices and fresh leather undertones. Matched with sweet firm tannins from the best French barrels, this wine ends with a lengthy prodigious finish that will only get better with age