Announcing the Launch of To Kalon Vineyard Company

Constellation Brands will launch To Kalon Vineyard Company in 2019 with celebrated winemaker Andy Erickson at the helm. Erickson, in partnership with the fine wine division of Constellation Brands, will create terroir-driven wines from Constellation’s To Kalon Vineyard. The vineyard, located in Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA, includes land planted by H.W. Crabb over 150 years ago and is widely acknowledged as one of the most iconic vineyards in the world.

“We are thrilled to honor our To Kalon Vineyard legacy with the launch of To Kalon Vineyard Company,” said John Seethoff, Vice President of Marketing, Fine Wine, Constellation Brands. “Some of the greatest wines in the world are made from our To Kalon Vineyard, and Andy Erickson is one of the most intuitive and talented winemakers in the industry today.” The inaugural wine from To Kalon Vineyard Company will be the 2016 vintage of Highest Beauty, named for the nineteenth century vineyard planted by the pioneering vintner H.W. Crabb who named his winery To Kalon, meaning “highest beauty” in Greek.

Andy Erickson began his career in winemaking under the tutelage of Paul Hobbs at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars and John Kongsgaard at Newton Vineyards in the 1990s. He went on to earn his master’s degree in Enology from UC Davis, later becoming the head winemaker at Staglin Family Vineyard. Erickson has consulted for some of the most renowned wineries in Napa Valley, including Screaming Eagle, Ovid and Dalle Valle, and is also the proprietor of Favia Winery, where he produces Napa Valley wines with his wife, viticulturist Annie Favia. A firm believer in terroir-driven wines, and an avid student of Napa Valley, he was drawn to To Kalon for its pedigree and strong sense of place. “What amazes me about this vineyard is that it produces wines with very soft tannins and yet incredible focus. There is great varietal definition that shines through with wines produced from To Kalon Vineyard,” says Erickson. He enthuses, “In addition to the incredible quality of the land, To Kalon has a deep and fascinating legacy. It is truly a gift to make wines from this great vineyard.”

With just 500 cases produced, selling for $200 per bottle, Highest Beauty 2016 releases in September 2019 and will be available through the mailing list at > www.tokalonvineyardcompany.com> .

Interesting that the cancelled building a winery on the property a while back for this brand. TKWC will be an interesting one to watch unfold. At $200, that is less per bottle than the same company sells the Mondavi To-Kalon for. Same vineyard. Makes me think they plan to ramp this production up quite a bit over time. They have 500 acres to work with. Don’t forget Schrader too.

FWIW, to kalon does not mean “highest beauty,” which would be more like ton kalliston; it’s not a comparative, just means the beautiful or the noble.

In lieu of this I would like to announce my formation of the Tonkalliston Vineyard Company. I figure Constellation will be cool with that. neener

Declassified Mondavi Reserve Cab To Kalon, Opus One and Schrader for $200.

Perhaps . Although I read somewhere that AE gets to pick any blocks he wants .

Color me intrigued!

We have a dog named To Kalon.

This is him guarding some pinot noir last night…

This was the sky…

Looked like a cosmic skateboarder.

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To Kalon looks just like our dog. He’s not an Australian Labradoodle by any chance, is he?

Wow!

Close!

Mom is also our dog, she is 50% standard poodle and 50% Golden. Dad is a red colored standard poodle.

We kept To Kalon and his brother, McLovin from the litter. When they are alone, those are their names. When they are together we call them the Weasleys, like Fred and George.

I hate when people say, “most iconic.”
(also, “most unique.”)

Mods, please feel free to move to the curmudgeon thread. [cheers.gif]

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I signed up . It’s a list why the heck not.

Gotta wonder how this will all shake out. First thought I have is how this wine will compare with the other to kalon cabs: Mondavi TK as well as the Reserve, MacDonald, Schrader, Opus, and the host of others getting fruit from Beckstoffer. Burgundy revisited in Napa? Then, what happens to Mondavi Reserve- if the best juice goes elsewhere…does more non TK juice go into this wine in the future (Stag’s Leap maybe?) compounding this, I would venture a guess that Schrader will now source from company owner fruit? And I am sure there are other questions as well.

What does To Kalon mean?

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champagne.gif

Sure, Scott pulls the mainstream media fake news definition.

It means, “To share a joint.”

Nice naming conventions.

next time please include link to appropriate thread. [wink.gif]

Cool. Another $200 Napa cab is just what the world needed.

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FIFY [whistle.gif]