The Le Pich label has become one of our best-selling Napa Valley Cabernets in the store! For the money, we feel it over delivers; and by the way you (our customers) buy it, it appears you agree with us! The Le Pich label is the more pocketbook-friendly Cabernet made by Purlieu Wines, but we recently got a hold of Purlieu's 2015 Cabernet (Le Pich's "big brother"), and it is an absolute knockout!!!
The Purlieu and Le Pich wines are made by Julien Fayard. Julien's name is just becoming recognizable with consumers, but he's been making world class Cabernet for well over a decade, and his name is well-known in Napa's inner circles. Julien has lived in the Napa Valley since 2006, when he and his wife agreed to settle down by "meeting halfway" - between his home in France… and hers in Sonoma. In France, Julien worked in both Provence and Bordeaux, where he defined his core winemaking style at the exalted first growth Château Lafite-Rothschild (he even lived in Lafite's grand château for a period) as well as at Smith Haut Lafitte. In Napa, Julien worked at Quintessa before joining Atelier Melka, where he spent five years as the Director of Winemaking. It was here, working with a variety of clients including Lail Vineyards, Gemstone, Dalla Valle, and more that Julien further developed his winemaking style - while also gaining an intimate understanding of the valley's vineyards and establishing strong relationships with its many passionate, quality-dedicated growers.
JEB DUNNUCK 97 POINTS - "Loads of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, gravelly earth, espresso, and chocolate notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard, a Graves-look alike that offers full-bodied richness, ripe, polished tannins, a dense, rich mid-palate, and a blockbuster of a finish. Reminding me of a great vintage from Smith Haut Lafitte, it can be drunk today or cellared for 20 years or more."
ANTONIO GALLONI 94 POINTS - "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is a powerful, heady wine. Blackberry jam, chocolate, cloves, licorice and espresso all flesh out as this potent, super-expressive Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its brooding intensity. The 2018 is a rich wine, but it is also impeccably balanced from start to finish. "
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 97+ POINTS - "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper opens with with classic, rather serious scents of warm cassis, black plum preserves and boysenberries with touches of espresso, menthol and hoisin plus a touch of tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate has bags of mineral-laced black fruit flavor, framed by grainy tannins and a refreshing line, finishing long and earthy."
The Purlieu and Le Pich wines are made by Julien Fayard. Julien's name is just becoming recognizable with consumers, but he's been making world class Cabernet for well over a decade, and his name is well-known in Napa's inner circles. Julien has lived in the Napa Valley since 2006, when he and his wife agreed to settle down by "meeting halfway" - between his home in France… and hers in Sonoma. In France, Julien worked in both Provence and Bordeaux, where he defined his core winemaking style at the exalted first growth Château Lafite-Rothschild (he even lived in Lafite's grand château for a period) as well as at Smith Haut Lafitte. In Napa, Julien worked at Quintessa before joining Atelier Melka, where he spent five years as the Director of Winemaking. It was here, working with a variety of clients including Lail Vineyards, Gemstone, Dalla Valle, and more that Julien further developed his winemaking style - while also gaining an intimate understanding of the valley's vineyards and establishing strong relationships with its many passionate, quality-dedicated growers.
ANTONIO GALLONI 94 POINTS - "The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is a powerful, heady wine. Blackberry jam, chocolate, cloves, licorice and espresso all flesh out as this potent, super-expressive Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its brooding intensity. The 2018 is a rich wine, but it is also impeccably balanced from start to finish. "
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 97+ POINTS - "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper opens with with classic, rather serious scents of warm cassis, black plum preserves and boysenberries with touches of espresso, menthol and hoisin plus a touch of tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate has bags of mineral-laced black fruit flavor, framed by grainy tannins and a refreshing line, finishing long and earthy."
