Winemaker Kirk Venge likes to age his Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Cabernet for 28 months in new French oak, and the result is a lip-smacking, opulent, sophisticated red offering up dark black fruits, dusty herbs, and toasty cedar wood. Medium-bodied, with density to the fruit weight balanced by coiled-up energy and tension. A rush of juicy warm fruit fills the mid-palate, and tannins build on the finish, which unspools in savoury earth, black tea, and more dried herbs. (JC)