I’ve enjoyed Beckmen Vineyards’ wines for more years than I care to admit. The Santa Ynez Valley producer bought their estate winery and 40-acre vineyard just outside of Los Olivos in 1994. Two years later, they added 365 acres of land in what is now the Ballard Canyon AVA. Between the two vineyards, Beckmen now has 150 acres of vines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhone varieties.

The larger vineyard, Purisma Mountain in Ballard Canyon, is also the fourth-largest in California to be certified biodynamic. It’s an up-and-down site, rising to 1,250 feet and cooled by both wind and altitude. That and the poor, limestone soils lead to small, concentrated grapes.

The other plot is lower and has less exposure to wind. Therefore warmer, it works well for Cabernet Sauvignon, though the area is still more moderate in climate than the Cabernet-focused Happy Canyon AVA which is a few miles to the east. Beckmen hand-harvests with multiple passes over time to capture all the grapes at optimal ripeness.

Steve Beckmen has always been responsible for the growing and winemaking. To maximize the benefit of the vineyards’ multiple aspects, varieties, and clones, he does the fermentations in small lots. Fermentations are often with ambient yeast and new oak is used with a light touch.

Beckmen Vineyards Wine Reviews

2018 Beckmen Vineyards Grenache Rosé Purisma Mountain Vineyard, Ballard Canyon AVA 90 13.7% 750ml screw cap $25

Light, shiny copper in color with a nose that begins with mineral, then opens into wild strawberry and orange ice cream. It’s gently mouthwatering in the mouth with medium body and very fine, soft, chalky texture. The palate is also mineral forward, but with air the flavors blossom into tangerine pith, cantaloupe, wild strawberry, underripe red cherry and a hint of peach. 

The Grenache was given a cold soak for 6-24 hours, depending on the batch and then was pressed for fermentation in stainless. There’s also Syrah in the wine, 13%, which was pressed without a cold soak. Most of the wine aged five months in stainless steel. 13% went into neutral barrels

2017 Beckmen Vineyards Cuvée Le Bec Santa Ynez Valley AVA 90+ 14.2% 750ml screw cap $25

Dark purple in the glass with savory aromas of bacon fat, dried flowers, black olive, and cinnamon, rising above a core of chewy, black plum and black cherry. The flavorful, nearly full-bodied palate is framed by moderate, very slightly grippy tannins. The flavors lean more toward fruit than the palate, achieving a roughly 60-40 balance savory and fruity. There’s dense, black olive, black and red cherry, dark plum and unsweetened licorice with a touch of unsweetened chocolate emerging on the finish. It’s perfectly ready to drink now, but should develop nicely for 5+ years. Try it with crispy pork belly. Very good value!

Copyright Fred Swan 2019. Photos courtesy of Beckmen Vineyards. All rights reserved.