Beckman Vineyards

What is biodynamic farming and how does it help bring a luxuriousness to the wine?

Biodynamic farming means lavishing the grapes with attention and hands-on care. This system of agriculture requires you to shape your environment to make plants happy, sometimes at great expense and sacrifice. By doing things like cultivating biodiversity and farming according to the phases of the moon, we think of what makes the grapes happy before anything else because pampering the grapes is the best way to make a wine luxurious. Wines with heavy glass bottles and high prices that don’t treat their grapes luxuriously are missing the fundamentals. It’s like if a hotel has a beautiful lobby but dingy rooms with uncomfortable mattresses. The luxuries that we provide the grapes pay off in the bottle and make for richer wines that age longer and evolve in wonderful ways.

How would you define a “world class” wine?

“World class” implies that your product can compete with any in the world. To make such a claim, you need to be as good as any competitor but in your own way. Our Syrah wouldn’t be world class if it weren’t a true representation of the Ballard Canyon AVA, and if Ballard Canyon weren’t a special site for the grape. If you plant the right grape in the right place, such as Ballard Canyon Syrah, you have the opportunity to make world-class wine, because you offer something special to the world of wine. Syrah grown in lesser sites wouldn’t stand up to the greatest in the world, like those from the Northern Rhone or the Barossa Valley of Australia.

It’s incredible that the vineyard was planted around the oak trees, instead of just uprooting them to grow grapes. In another story in this magazine, we spoke with a luxury home builder in Park City who talked about a similar approach - how when he works on a home he really wants it to blend with the environment and not hamper it in any way. Can you explain a bit more how this preservation/sustainable ideology plays into the wines you produce?

Biodiversity is a key component of biodynamic agriculture. While there are some pests that we want to keep out of our vineyards, (which we do using natural methods, never chemicals), most life is welcome in the biodynamic vineyard. A mighty oak tree might seem like it’s in the way for grape growers that only consider high yields, but if you think of all the shade, wisdom, and inspiration that such a large and old plant provides for the surrounding vineyards, it is a gift from nature.

As an estate grown winery, you produce wine from your own vineyards. Do you think that’s one quality separating an ordinary wine from an extraordinary wine?

For us, it’s incredibly important. There are more wines out there these days that are made with purchased fruit, or, worse yet, fruit from anonymous sources. Being farmers first means that we have control over every decision from when a vine is first planted until the wine goes in the bottle. This allows us to make wines with greater intention, and our knowledge of the land and the vines give us insight into the winemaking that would be otherwise missing.

What are some food-and-wine pairings you recommend for an important celebration?

Our Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are produced in a rich, opulent style with enough tannin and acidity to make them food friendly, which is why they’re natural partners for over-the-top, multi-course meals. Syrah is considered a perfect match for lamb, and a winter centerpiece like a frenched rack of lamb, would be a superb pairing. Our biodynamic Purisima Mountain Vineyard in Ballard Canyon creates a Syrah with a natural savory, gamey quality that features well with the richer game meats that some might serve on the holidays, such as goose, grouse, or elk. The rich fruity notes make it powerful enough to stand up to a sweet and salty glazed ham with scalloped potatoes.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a natural partner for beef, and we love a whole roasted tenderloin of beef for a luxurious celebratory meal. Our Cabernet is relatively easy-going as far as big luscious without being too tannic and providing only a gentle earthiness, so you can have a few glasses alongside a bounty of hearty sides such as roasted vegetables or sauteed mushrooms.

Tell us about a special time for you and your team at the vineyard.

The holidays are a big celebration for us, because this is when our production team can finally relax after many months of working long days without a break. We have a holiday party every year where we open old wines from the almost 30 years of Beckmen Vineyards. It’s a great time because we can come together as a team, but also the crew knows that the party means the hardest part of the year is over. The wines enjoyed are a reminder of what all of that hard work helps to create.