2016 Vintage — (3) Secret Stones (3) Montecillo
This pack includes three (3) bottles of our Secret Stones, Rockpile Vineyard 2016, and three (3) of the Montecillo Vineyard 2016. Every season we show off Zinfandel's power to rise above other varietals with intelligent investments in quality and care.
The 2016 Secret Stones was a beast at bottling, and it is now nearing it's prime level of maturity; we love this wine with 5 years under its belt. Our estimation has been that in 2021, it will have reached its' zenith, and with that time right around the corner—one of the most magnificent wines we have managed to produce will start coming out of our supporters' cellars and wowing them at the table.
The Montecillo Vineyard was just as ideally realized in 2016, with some of the most attractive conditions we have seen in our time winemaking. The first vintage that we implemented the use of the T4 French Oak barrel showed a quick return on investment—the balanced nature and purity of this wine are sublime, and will only continue to refine over time.
2016 Secret Stones, Rockpile Vineyard
Connoisseurs' Guide | 95 points + 3 stars
It has been rightly said that wine is a living thing that changes for good and bad over time, that it undergoes phases of advance and retreat, yet experience teaches that those changes, such as they may be, are almost never fundamental. A revised review, while very rare, is not without precedent here at CGCW, but we can categorically say that this month’s reprised tasting of the 2016 Beekeeper Secret Stones Zin is a happy, three-star surprise, and those who managed to put a bottle or two away will be more than happy that they did.
Jeb Dunnuck | 94+ points
Also straight-up thrilling stuff, the 2016 Zinfandel Secret Stones includes slightly more Petite Sirah (20%) and comes all from the Rockpile Vineyard. Aged 15 months in 25% new French oak, it’s a full-bodied, deep, rich 2016 that has plenty of intensity in its blackberry fruit and notes of ground herbs, pepper, licorice, and hints of graphite. With fine tannins and a seamless texture, drink it over the coming decade or more.
2016 Montecillo Vineyard
Connoisseurs' Guide | 97 points + 3 stars
Zinfandel is rarely the recipient of the kind of swollen prose and lofty scores that are routinely thrown Cabernet Sauvignon’s way, but we suspect that even the fussiest collector of trophy wines will rethink their opinion of the variety when met with an example as deep and wonderfully well-crafted as the latest Beekeeper is. While very rich and long on exceptionally pure varietal fruit, the wine is already showing uncommon finesse and tailoring, and it is destined to age famously and grow ever more involving over the course of the next five to ten years. It is most definitely a 'keeper' and deserves a place in the cellar of every serious Zinfandel devotee.
Jeb Dunnuck | 94 points
"The 2016 Zinfandel Montecillo Vineyard (there’s 5% Petite Sirah) is a classy, medium to full-bodied, elegant Zinfandel that has lots of classic blue fruits, cedar, and white pepper aromas and flavors. Aged 15 months in 25% new French oak, it has a great texture, terrific overall balance, and is a sensational Zinfandel from this great vintage."
Valued at $440. No substitutions permitted.
These wines will ship on November 11th, weather permitting.
2017 Combo Pack — (1) Secret Stones (1) Montecillo (1) Hidden Hillside
This pack includes one bottle of our new 2017 Secret Stones, Rockpile Vineyard, one bottle of the 2017 Hidden Hillside Reserve, and one bottle of the 2017 Montecillo Vineyard. With two 97 Point reviews for the Secret Stones and Hidden Hillside, a 95 point and Top 100 Cellar Selection of 2020 for the Montecillo, and a 95 Point review from Jeb Dunnuck for the Secret Stones (the highest score we have received from Dunnuck as of yet), a challenging vintage transformed into the most rewarding in our history.
Please enjoy and celebrate with us yet another breathtaking moment in our winemaking journey!
2017 Secret Stones
Purely Domestic Wine Report | 97 Points
The nose is a firm and savory tapenade with soaked cherries and camphor showing underlying espresso and mocha. The palate entry is exceptionally open and supple with textured blackberry and dark stone fruits in the core delivering mouth-coating density and sense of purity.
Jeb Dunnuck | 95 Points
Rocking levels of plums, cedary spice, licorice, and brambly herbs emerge from the 2017 Zinfandel Secret Stones, which includes a splash of Petite Sirah and spent 18 months in just 20% new French oak. Possessing medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins, terrific mid-palate depth, and a seamless, silky mouthfeel, it’s an awesome Zinfandel, especially noteworthy given that 2017 was incredibly challenging for this variety.
2017 Montecillo Vineyard
Wine Enthusiast | 95 Points
#64 Top 100 Cellar Selections 2020
This extraordinarily well-crafted Zinfandel is so deep in optimally ripened varietal fruit as to be inviting right now, but it has the solidity and structural bones of a wine that promises to be nothing less than a highly collectable classic with age. It presently teases with a lovely, very generous mix of juicy, black and red berries judiciously framed by sweet oak before its grippy tannins impart a bit of tightening astringency at the finish, and, while it is never not so rough and ragged as to prohibit drinking in the relatively short term, its composition and keen balance are the sure markers of a Zinfandel that will improve for a full decade, if not more.
Connoisseur's Guide | 95 Points + 3 Stars
This extraordinarily well-crafted Zinfandel is so deep in optimally ripened varietal fruit as to be inviting right now, but it has the solidity and structural bones of a wine that promises to be nothing less than a highly collectable classic with age. It presently teases with a lovely, very generous mix of juicy, black and red berries judiciously framed by sweet oak before its grippy tannins impart a bit of tightening astringency at the finish, and, while it is never not so rough and ragged as to prohibit drinking in the relatively short term, its composition and keen balance are the sure markers of a Zinfandel that will improve for a full decade, if not more.
2017 Hidden Hillside Reserve
Connoisseur's Guide | 95 Points + 3 Stars
Top 3 Star Wines of 2020
Picking a favorite from the new Beekeeper releases each year is far from easy, but it is a task that is nothing less than a pure joy, and the winery’s three new offerings only strengthen its place as a Zinfandel maker at the absolute top of its game. The 2017 Hidden Hills Reserve, while a bit tight, is a wine of enormous depth and detail and, as expected, shows the structure and sheer fruity volume that typify Beekeeper’s very best efforts. It surprises a bit by being momentarily juicy in a way that almost tempts drinking now, but, however rich it may be in its youth, its tantalizing suggestions of certain layering to come keep us from prematurely pulling its cork. Expect no fewer than five or six years of positive growth and count on it being better yet as it reaches its tenth anniversary.
Purely Domestic Wine Report | 97 Points
The nose is immediately open and assertive with forward orange, plum and wild grape flecked with Demerara and cocoa powder. The palate entry is supple, polished stone fruits integrated with orange, sandalwood and nutmeg that deliver a saturated yet lively dimension to the core. Youthful on the finish. Give it a year, really.
No substitutions permitted.
$25 Flat Rate Shipping per combo in the continental United States.
Montecillo Vineyard Combo — 14-15-16-17
This pack includes three bottles per vintage of the Montecillo Vineyard offering from 2014 to 2017, one case (12 bottles) in total. Originally reserved for the best efforts of Kenwood Vineyards' Cabernet, we luckily gained access to this hillside and went on to produce the first Beekeeper Cellars Montecillo offering in 2014. We have been blessed every year since by the beautiful fruit that this vineyard is capable of—balanced, pure and powerful wines that age with elegance and authority.
If you are a longtime fan or new to Beekeeper these bottles are perfect additions to your cellar whether you drink them now or treat them with a little patience to watch them bloom.
2017 Montecillo Vineyard (New Release)
"From a volcanic site high atop the Moon Mountain region above Sonoma Valley, this impressive knockout of a wine is thick and tightly wound in its youth, yet still imparts deeply etched components of sanguine currant, dried herb and earth. Balanced and powerful, it is structured and graceful, with a juicy core of blackberry and raspberry. This will do well in the cellar; enjoy best from 2027–2030." 95 Points, Cellar Selection, Wine Enthusiast
"This extraordinarily well-crafted Zinfandel is so deep in optimally ripened varietal fruit as to be inviting right now, but it has the solidity and structural bones of a wine that promises to be nothing less than a highly collectable classic with age. It presently teases with a lovely, very generous mix of juicy, black and red berries judiciously framed by sweet oak before its grippy tannins impart a bit of tightening astringency at the finish, and, while it is never not so rough and ragged as to prohibit drinking in the relatively short term, its composition and keen balance are the sure markers of a Zinfandel that will improve for a full decade, if not more." 95 Points, Connoisseur's Guide
2016 Montecillo Vineyard
"Zinfandel is rarely the recipient of the kind of swollen prose and lofty scores that are routinely thrown Cabernet Sauvignon’s way, but we suspect that even the fussiest collector of trophy wines will rethink their opinion of the variety" 97 Points, Connoisseur's Guide
"It has a great texture, terrific overall balance, and is a sensational Zinfandel from this great vintage" 94 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
"We were absolutely in love with this wine" Inspired Citizen
2015 Montecillo Vineyard
"A collectable Zin that takes its usual place among the very best of the vintage" 95 Points, Connoisseur's Guide
"The high-tier aging and blending (Petite Sirah and press fractions) allows Beekeeper to find the wine’s inner balance specific to the winery. This one was our very favorite" Inspired Citizen
2014 Montecillo Vineyard
"An eminently collectable wine of enormous potential" 96 Points, Connoisseur's Guide
"The palate shows beautiful texture, weight and definition" 94 Points, Purely Domestic Wine Report
Valued at over $780.
No substitutions permitted.
Limit 1 per customer.
Wines will ship on November 11th, weather permitting.
New Release 2017
