New Red Hills Station Office Demonstrates Beckstoffer Vineyards’ Two Decade Commitment to Growing Ultra-Premium Cabernet in the Red Hills
(Kelseyville, Calif.—June 25, 2018) – Andy Beckstoffer, perhaps the most recognized California grower of wine grapes, announced today that Beckstoffer Vineyards will open its new Red Hills Station in the Red Hills AVA just outside Kelseyville, Lake County on July 21st. Beckstoffer Vineyards first acquired land in the Red Hills in 1997 beginning the modern era of premium vineyard plantings in Lake County and has steadfastly been committed to proving that the Red Hills can produce ultra- premium Cabernet rivaling the best that California has to offer. Andy Beckstoffer and a group of growers established the Red Hills AVA in 2004.
“Vineyards and wine grapes don’t recognize California county boundaries. The Red Hills located just north of Napa provide ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon soils and climate. There are many similarities between Napa when we arrived in 1970 and the Red Hills in 2018. Napa was not ‘wine country’ then and Lake County isn’t now. In the 1970’s, the Napa grapes had not really begun to realize their potential for ultra-premium wine. The same can be said for Red Hills. We believe that potential is there, and we plan to continue to pioneer its potential.”
With the opening of the Red Hills Station, Beckstoffer Vineyards further demonstrates its long-term commitment to the AVA and provides an office for its management and administrative employees, helmed by General Manager Pedro Rubio.
Beckstoffer Vineyards owns approximately 1500 acres in the Red Hills of Lake County, with the 850 acre Amber Knolls Vineyard and the 650 acre Crimson Ridge Vineyard which are planted on the hillsides between 2,000-2,500 feet elevations. As with all Beckstoffer-owned vineyards, Amber Knolls and Crimson Ridge are farmed with the long-term vision of the stewardship of the land by using innovation and sustainability to improve vine health, productivity and quality. Beckstoffer Vineyards currently sells Red Hills fruit to more than 30 different wineries and winemakers, many of which are earmarked for ultra-premium vineyard designated wines.
Beckstoffer’s opening of the is the second significant visible commitment to the Red Hills in recent years: in 2016 Beckstoffer Vineyards initiated a new program wherein the company pledged to offer an acre of grapes for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 vintages, farmed to Beckstoffers’ Napa Heritage Vineyards standards, to several key winemakers who applied for the opportunity. The winemakers’ names and wines will be revealed and premiered respectively in 2019.
Established in 2004, the Red Hills AVA is located in the northern Mayacamas Mountains on the southwest edge of Clear Lake. At the foot of Mount Konocti, the AVA is comprised of dozens of volcanic hills ranging from 1,350 to more than 3,700 feet above sea level. Grapes are grown in mountain climate conditions with the majority of the AVA’s acreage planted at or over 2,000 feet allowing for greater levels of sunlight. The exposure to sunlight, combined with low humidity and temperate climate create a perfect growing season, allowing grapes to ripen without dramatic fluctuations, resulting in bright, balanced wines with complex flavor.
ABOUT BECKSTOFFER VINEYARDS
Named “Napa’s most powerful grape grower” by both the Wall Street Journal and Wine Spectator, Beckstoffer Vineyards was founded in 1970. Beckstoffer Vineyards is firmly rooted in the soil of Northern California’s wine country, with Andy Beckstoffer playing an integral role in the evolution of the wine grape industry since 1970. Joined at the family-owned business by his son David in 1997, they share a common mission – to produce the highest quality grapes in Northern California that form the foundation for exceptional wines – and a combined passion for the land and viticulture expertise.
