To Kalon Vineyard is arguably the most famous vineyard in America, certainly when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon, which it grows exceptionally well in the heart of the Napa Valley.

The vineyard sits within the confines of the much-beloved Oakville appellation at the base of the Mayacamas Mountains, 60 miles north of San Francisco and 10 miles north of Napa, along its vital two-lane thoroughfare, Highway 29.

To Kalon’s history can be traced to the earliest days of grape-growing in California. It played a central role in the Napa Valley’s rise to international fame and became so prominent that Robert Mondavi’s original carved wooden To Kalon Vineyard sign that once stood along Highway 29 is now part of the Smithsonian collection in Washington, D.C.

Why is To Kalon so famous?

In part, it’s the history, which stretches back to the earliest days of California’s wine trade. To Kalon was first planted in 1868 by Hamilton Walker Crabb, who came west from Ohio to search for gold. 

But To Kalon rose to modern prominence thanks to Robert Mondavi, who established his namesake winery within its borders and used the vineyard’s name on some of his most highly prized bottlings. Mondavi didn’t just make To Kalon famous, he helped make the entire Napa Valley famous, so the specific vineyard he chose to make some of his finest wines was, understandably, a big deal.

The vineyard became even more famous when grapegrowing legend Andy Beckstoffer later established his own piece of it, and attained such consistent heights that wines labeled “Beckstoffer To Kalon” nearly guarantee greatness. 

To Kalon is also famously contentious. Many lawsuits (some involving Mondavi and Beckstoffer) have papered To Kalon’s path. We’ll come back to this.

But mostly it’s those grapes. To Kalon’s grapes are, for many, the most perfect expression of Cabernet Sauvignon in America.  

What makes To Kalon’s grapes so great?

Its location at the base of the Mayacamas means To Kalon faces east, allowing the vines to avoid the direct sun and heat of the afternoon during the growing season, which can be oppressive in other locations. This means the grapes can hang long enough to truly develop in color, flavor, acid and tannin. 

Also, these western benchlands—the gently sloping areas between the higher elevations of the mountains and the valley floor—are made up of alluvial fans with volcanic, gravelly soils that drain well, making them really good for farming wine grapes. 

What’s with the name?

Most of the time you’ll hear that To Kalon is Greek for “highest good” or “highest beauty” (which it is). But according to one of To Kalon’s unofficial historian, Graeme MacDonald, the name was more likely inspired by the Native American phrase Tu-la-halusi, which means “beautiful land” (To Kalon then meaning “the most beautiful”), and was used by early settlers to describe this part of the Napa Valley.

MacDonald himself owns a slice of land that’s been in his family for generations, planted originally by George Yount (Yountville’s namesake), in the 1870s. MacDonald’s grandparents replanted it in the 1950s on the advice of Robert Mondavi, and the grapes have long gone to Robert Mondavi Winery for the Robert Mondavi Reserve and To Kalon wines. Beginning in 2010, MacDonald and his brother Alex have kept some of the grapes for their own wine, MacDonald. 

The extremely complicated legal situation

Over time, Crabb’s original To Kalon land was passed down, sold, divided, re-combined and fought over in so many different ways that it would test the limits of even the most interested reader’s patience to detail the full story here. But among the key things to know:

• The Mondavi family eventually acquired much of the original To Kalon land for their Charles Krug winery. In the course of their internecine fighting, Robert Mondavi was kicked out of the family business and later awarded a significant portion of the family’s To Kalon holdings. 
• With his own winery situated on To Kalon, Robert Mondavi then trademarked “To Kalon” and “To Kalon Vineyard,” which meant no one else who grew grapes on the original To Kalon land or made wine from those grapes could use the name “To Kalon” in association with their wines. So it’s possible to drink wines made from grapes that were, at one time, part of the vineyard, but you won’t see the words “To Kalon” anywhere near those wines. This is only the beginning of the confusing part because . . .
• There is an important exception: famed grape grower Andy Beckstoffer, who purchased 89 acres of To Kalon land in 1993, won the right to use the name “Beckstoffer To Kalon” royalty-free, in reference to the grapes grown on his piece of the vineyard. This means any winery that purchases these grapes from Beckstoffer can, with his approval, use the term “Beckstoffer To Kalon” on its label.
• In 2004, Robert Mondavi sold his winery to Constellation Brands, which took over the To Kalon name and trademark. So other than wines labeled “Beckstoffer To Kalon,” if you’re drinking a wine that uses the name To Kalon, it’s a wine owned by Constellation (including, since buying it in 2017, cult brand Schrader Cellars).
• In 2019, Constellation introduced a new wine brand called To Kalon Vineyard Company to highlight To Kalon grapes.
• Got all that? 

How much do To Kalon grapes cost?

Since Constellation uses all of its To Kalon grapes for its own wines, the only grapes from the vineyard that are sold to other winemakers are Beckstoffer’s, which rank as some of the most expensive in California, if not the world. The average price for a ton of Napa Valley grapes is around $8,000; Beckstoffer’s can sell for upwards of $20,000.  

This premium is due in part to the unorthodox pricing structure Beckstoffer introduced years ago, which ties the price of his grapes to the retail price of the bottle. For each ton of grapes, Beckstoffer charges 100 times the price of a bottle made with them. So if a bottle with “Beckstoffer To Kalon” on the label is priced at $200, for example, he charges the producer a minimum of $20,000 per ton for the grapes. 

What are some of the wines made from To Kalon grapes?

Beckstoffer To Kalon grapes go into wines made by Alejandro Bulgheroni, Alpha Omega, Amici, AXR Winery, B Cellars, Carter Cellars, Cliff Lede, Macauley, Morlet Family, Paul Hobbs, Realm, Stewart and Tor Kenward, among others.

Constellation’s To Kalon grapes go to Robert Mondavi Winery, Schrader Cellars, Double Diamond and To Kalon Vineyard Company. While these wines are almost always Cabernet Sauvignons, the Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc Reserve is also made exclusively from To Kalon grapes.

Where should I start if I want to explore To Kalon wines?

Start with the Robert Mondavi To Kalon wines, then move on to some of the longstanding, high-quality producers that have worked with the vineyard: Schrader, Macaulay, Morlet, Carter Cellars, Paul Hobbs, Tor Kenward. 

From there, you can dive into some of the younger wineries working with the grapes: Stewart, AXR, Cliff Lede, B Cellars, Realm. And try the MacDonald wines.