Fait-Main Beckstoffer Missouri-Hopper Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2021

For some, winemaking is about a lifestyle, but for Benoit Touquette and his very small team at Fait-Main, it is about hard work. When something clicks, be it the right vineyard site, the right people, or the right timing, you just go for it, no matter how risky it might appear or how many more sleepless nights at the winery there will be. Benoit says... "at home, I can't rest for long without my mind wandering back to the winery, the vineyards, the unexplored possibilities. Fait-Main is the result of that restlessness." Meaning handmade in French, Fait Main wines tell the story of the individual vineyards and the people who make them, sharing a commitment to the highest standards in any endeavor. Frenchman Benoit Touquette is unquestionably a genius. He has earned eight 100-point wines in his career, so it is fair to say that just about every project he has his hands in turns to gold. After studying for his Master's Degree in Chemistry at the University of Bordeaux, Benoit worked at several excellent but very high-volume wineries. There, he realized that his passion lay in making limited-production, high-end wines. Enter a special mentor to Benoit, France's renowned Michel Rolland, who helped Benoit secure a position with Andy Erickson, who consulted on some of Napa's most elite brands, such as Screaming Eagle, Ovid, and Arietta, to name a few. After starting his own consulting business, Benoit is now the frontman for labels such as Realm, Jack Quinn, Kata, Hartwell, and Teeter Totter. Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper, one of Napa's oldest vineyards, consists of 45 contiguous acres on the famed Oakville Bench in the Napa Valley. Originally owned by George Yount, as in Yountville, it was purchased by Charles Hopper and given to his daughter Missouri in 1877. Today Missouri Hopper is owned by the Beckstoffer family, and the fruit from this vineyard is some of the most sought-after in Napa Valley.

"2021 Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet Sauvignon is superbly fresh and charismatic, with a beautiful frame and soft, silky roundness. The complex nose shows dark red fruits laced with spices. Pretty floral notes and a gentle touch of graphite complement the abundance of fresh red, blue, and purple fruits at the core. Powerful, elegant, and savory, this wine delivers density and structure with perfect oak integration" ~ Winemaker and owner Benoit Touquette