Further exploration of the wines of Tor Kenward: A tasting at The Vineyard (Orlando, FL)

Tor Kenward arrived in Napa at one of the most consequential times in the history of American -- nay New World -- wines: a group of unheralded Napa Valley winemakers had just bested some of the greatest Burgundy and Bordeaux wines in the now-famous Judgment of Paris.

And at that time, and for some time thereafter, giants roamed the Valley: André Tchelistcheff (the Father of California wine); Robert Mondavi (led the way in the sales, distribution, and promotion of American wine while focusing on quality improvements); Mike Grgich (known for his world-beating Chardonnays out of Chateau Montelena; and Warren Winiarski (exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon's and wine as a culture) among others. And Tor walked among these giants, and supped with them, and learned the origin of their strengths, and applied those learnings first to his efforts at Beringer and then in his own enterprise.

Tor started out at Beringer Vineyards and, over the next 27 years, helped to build a wine company "known to collectors for its single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays." Over those 27 years Tor developed a deep knowledge of Napa and European terroirs and winemaking practices. And it was this reservoir of knowledge that he tapped into when he retired from Beringer in 2001 to launch, along with his wife Susan, his own venture: TOR Kenward Family Wines.

According to Tor, the plan was simple:

Our wines would come from only the best blocks in great vineyard sites I knew and revered. All of our wines are hand-made in every sense and in very small quantities ... Our winemaking is driven by what I heard and learned making small experimental lots of wine at Beringer. Great vineyards deserve respect and experience has taught me that in winemaking, less is more.

The population of great sites from which Tor sources the grapes for his wines are shown below.

TOR's grape sources (Source:TOR)

During the early part of 2017, Tor had arranged for the Wineontheway.com to walk the Beckstoffer to Kalon Vineyard with Andy Beckstoffer after which we repaired to Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen to taste some of his wines from that terroir.

A tasting at the Vineyard in Orlando presented me with the opportunity to extend the range of my knowledge of TOR wines by tasting the other single-vineyard Oakville wines (Terra Rioja), one of the Howell Mountain sites (Herb Lamb Vineyard), and the Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard (also in Oakville but the source of grapes for blends). We were led in the tasting by Matt Deller MW, COO of TOR.

The figure below shows the vineyards that are the source of the wines which will be explored in this post.

Compiled from TOR material

Matt began the tasting by giving a little bit of the history of Tor. He pointed out that Tor had begun making his own wine in 1983 while still at Beringer (at this time the company would have been owned by Nestlé). when Tor left Beringer in 2001 and launched his own enterprise, he brought inJeff Ames as the winemaker. Jeff is still there to this day.

Matt came to Tor from NZ after 20 years of making, importing, and judging wines.

As it relates to winemaking, they harvest when the seeds attain a walnut color. and a brix of between 25 and 26. They are seeking freshness and perfection of fruit. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks via native yeasts and are macerated for a total of 15 days post-fermentation. The juice is then racked over to 100% new, 3-year-seasoned, medium-toast French oak for malolactic fermentation and aging. The wines are aged between 18 and 22 months and are bottled without fining or filtration.

The wines on offer

Vineyard GM and Matt at the tasting

The TOR Terra Rioja 2015 was rich and creamy on the nose with vanilla, dark fruit, chocolate, herbs, blue fruit, bouillon soup and dried herbs. Bright and intense on the palate. Creamy and rich with a certain spiciness. Long. mineral finish.

The 2015 Oakville Hillside was more restrained on the nose than was the case for the Terra Rioja. Dark/blue fruit, baking sppices, vanilla. More structured than the Terra Rioja. Rich and spicy.

The 2015 Herb Lamb showed beef tea, herbs, dried leather, and a savory broth on the nose. Tea, dried herbs, and barrel effects on the palate. Beautiful, elegant, balanced.

The 2015 Proprietary Red is a blend of 43% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 43% Petiti Verdot. This wine was restrained on the nose. Red fruits, spices, barrel spices, licorice, and vanilla. Not as mouthfilling as the wines tasted previously. Cigar and wet tobacco on the palate. Elegant. Long, creamy finish.

These are all extremely high-quality wines made by a team that is focused on bringing the best, small-batch wines they can to the market. And they are succeeding. While I do not wax enthusiastic about many Napa wines, TOR ranks among the four or so that I drink with pride.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme