2021 TOR, Pure Magic, Napa Valley, California, USA
Critics reviews
Tor's 2021 Pure Magic is a co-fermentation of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. While historically Pure Magic has come from either Vine Hill Ranch or To Kalon, the 2021 mixes sites. Initially a bit lifted, herbal and tea-like on the nose, those elements are soon joined by cassis and cherries. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, silky, elegant and complex, but it might not be the most concentrated of the 2021 reds from Tor.
Drink 2024 - 2040
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (June 2023)
This has wonderful length and focus with racy fine tannins that go on for minutes. Medium body with tension and beauty. Extremely long and linear. A different nature to it. One for the cellar.
Drink after 2026
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (December 2023)
The 2021 Pure Magic is mostly co-ferments of Cabernet Sauvignon yet includes a solid splash of Cabernet Franc. It's a brilliant, inky-hued effort offering tons of minerality as well as full-bodied richness, ripe, building tannins, remarkable purity, and classic, unevolved aromatics of cassis, graphite, and crushed stone. It has loads of glycerin and baby fat, yet there's some rock-solid underlying structure. This layered, deep, concentrated 2021 should be at its best from 2028-2048+.
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (December 2023)
About this WINE
TOR Wines
Located in the heart of Napa Valley, California, TOR Wines was founded by Tor Kenward, an industry veteran with over four decades of experience. Kenward's philosophy emphasises minimal intervention and a focus on terroir, allowing the natural characteristics of the grapes and the land to shine through in each bottle.
The winery sources its grapes, mainly Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, from some of the most renowned vineyards in Napa Valley and beyond, including Beckstoffer To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch, and Melanson Vineyard. The winemaking process includes hand-harvesting, careful grape selection, and ageing in French oak barrels.
Sustainability is a core value at TOR Wines. The winery is committed to sustainable farming practices and works closely with vineyard partners to ensure their farming methods are environmentally friendly.
Napa Valley
North Coast's Napa Valley is California's most famous viticultural area (AVA), claiming some of the most expensive agricultural land in the world and producing wines of cult status.
Its 16,000 ha of vines lie over a strip (40 miles long-5 miles wide) of diverse soils (clay, gravely, volcanic), with its northernmost end on the side of Mountain Helena and its foot in San Francisco Bay. The valley is framed by two mountains ranges Vaca (to the north) and Mayacamas (to the south), yet the main climatic influence is the cool wind and fog that is sucked in from San Pablo Bay during the afternoon, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
The area enjoys a variety of unique microclimates, as temperatures can vary dramatically as much as 15 degrees, from the north to the south end of the valley. These differences have led to the creation of several sub-AVAs (14 in total) including:
Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District. The Calistoga AVA is still pending approval.
Both the Napa Valley designation and the sub-AVA name must appear on the wine label simultaneously, with the exception of wines from the Carneros AVA, which is shared between the Napa Valley and the Sonoma County.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed king of Napa grapes, occupying over 45% of the vineyard acreage, followed by (predominantly) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab. Franc and to a lesser extent Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto.
Recommended Producers
Frog's Leap, Dominus, David Ramey, Viader, Stag's Leap Cellars, Paras Vineyards, Heitz.
Cabernet Sauvignon blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Tor's 2021 Pure Magic is a co-fermentation of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. While historically Pure Magic has come from either Vine Hill Ranch or To Kalon, the 2021 mixes sites. Initially a bit lifted, herbal and tea-like on the nose, those elements are soon joined by cassis and cherries. It's medium to full-bodied on the palate, silky, elegant and complex, but it might not be the most concentrated of the 2021 reds from Tor.
Drink 2024 - 2040
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (June 2023)
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