2019 TOR Black Magic
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Tasting notes
A best-blend, best-barrel selection, Tor's 2019 Black Magic offers up waves of cassis, black cherries, dark chocolate and dark loam. It's full-bodied and rich, expansive, plush and velvety. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc, there are 300 cases of this incredibly seductive effort. The only question well-heeled buyers will have to consider is whether it is really that much better than some of the single-vineyard efforts.
Critic scores
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2019 Black Magic is a fabulous conclusion to this tasting with Tor Kenward and Jeff Ames. Ample and flamboyant to the core, the 2019 Black Magic captures all the natural intensity of the Tor house style. Layers of dark fruit, chocolate, espresso, licorice, sweet spice and copious new oak build over time. Black Magic is the flagship wine in this range, but it is a bit pushed in style and not my personal favorite in the range, for what that is worth.
Based on co-ferments of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Petit Verdot (15%), and Cabernet Franc (9%), mostly from the To Kalon and Vine Hill Ranch vineyards, the 2019 Black Magic is a stunning wine that flirts with perfection, and I'd put it up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. It offers a kaleidoscopic array of red, blue, and black fruits, notes of sandalwood, graphite, iron, and tobacco leaf, full-bodied richness, silky tannins, and a monster of a finish. The balance here is spot on, it has the supple, round, classic 2019 mouthfeel, and while it's already a sensational drink, it's going to evolve for 25+ years. It's another incredible wine from this team.
Co-fermented Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Petit Verdot (15%) and Cabernet Franc (9%) – predominantly Beckstoffer To Kalon and Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard. A barrel selection after many blending trials. Intense black-fruit sweetness – damson and cassis – but the tannins seem sweet, too. Deep, thick, chewy. For me, this is archetypal Napa, big and bold, but as it opens, the firm tannins add a more savoury side to this rich, generous, oaky wine. (JH)