Becklyn Cellars

Becklyn Cellars. Proprietor Rick Helmig was raised in Palos Verdes, California. He played baseball at Oklahoma State and after graduating, moved to Dallas where he spent a 40-year career in finance until retiring in 2025. His introduction to wine came after graduating from college. He recalls tasting a variety of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons with friends, including wines from Silver Oak, Caymus, Duckhorn, Robert Mondavi Winery’s Reserve, and Beringer’s Private Reserve.

He began regularly visiting Napa Valley at least once a year starting in 1998; over the years he has met numerous vintners, winemakers and others in the industry including winemaker Mike Smith.

Every Christmas since 1998 Rick organizes a gathering to taste premium wines blind. He hasn’t yet missed hosting this event, having hosted through ice storms and the challenges of 2020. Similar to the Stanley Cup, winners receive a trophy – in this case, it is a wearable metal spittoon with the winner’s names engraved on the outside. This spittoon is in their possession for a full year until the winner of the next competition is determined.

Rick was already familiar with some of Mike Smith’s wines through this annual tasting including Myriad, which was the winning wine one year. In 2017 a friend brought a Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon to this tasting, going up against heavyweights such as Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate and various First Growth Bordeaux chateaus. There are usually 20-25 different wines represented. Attendees receive one to two ounce pours from each bottle. And then these wines are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. The Becklyn Cellars wine took top scores against all other wines entered that year. This friend brought the exact same bottle the next year, and again it earned the top score.

In 2022 Rick was having dinner with Smith when he told him that Austin based Matt and Amber Denny, the founders of Becklyn Cellars were interested in selling this small brand. Their first vintage was in 2012, a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Rick was interested so he reached out to the Dennys and agreed to purchase their existing inventory and the brand. Smith continues to be the winemaker; he has crafted every vintage of Becklyn.

Rick is the co-owner of another Mike Smith crafted brand Quivet Cellars; Rick oversees all the day to day logistics of selling wines for both brands. After the transition in ownership, Rick kept the original image of the cypress tree on the wine label. This tree was highly personal to Matt Denny; his mother Rebecca Lynn Denny planted it on their 200+ acre horse ranch in Austin before she died in 2002. The name Becklyn is derived from her first and middle names.

Mike describes his wine making as “purist” in style. He is not tied into one type of wine making, rather he bases his efforts on each particular vintage. One constant in the cellar is his approach at the end of fermentation and with barrel aging. He ferments the grapes until the residual sugar is typically between 8 g and 30 g/L before transferring to barrel while sweet to finish its fermentation. This process helps round out the oak influence from the new French oak barrels and in part helps make the oak a contributing component to the wine rather than a dominating one. And he does not use optical sorters preferring to work with what comes in from the vineyard including both ‘raisins’ and slightly under ripe grapes, with each balancing out the others contributions.

He is a versatile winemaker having already built up a resume of making various styles of wines for boutique producers. He sources grapes from a variety of premium vineyards including in the Stags Leap District, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Calistoga.

His vineyard sources and wine making efforts have been rewarded and validated over the years by some of the most respected wine critics, wine writers and wine publications. He maintains a printed and ever growing score card of such awarded scores; it is an impressive and dizzying showing with well over 600 such scores listed above 92 covering a period of time ranging from 2012 through the present.

Select Wines
Since Rick acquired Becklyn Cellars, a few changes have been made to the wine portfolio. The last Sauvignon Blanc was produced in 2023 and he has since introduced several additional SKUs including Becklyn Cellars inaugural 100% Merlot from the Beckstoffer owned Las Amigas Vineyard in 2024.

The wines are 100% varietal with vineyard sources arranged by Smith. Smith utilizes barrels from four different cooperages using 100% new French oak with an élevage typically averaging about 22 months.

Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2022 Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (100% varietal) is deep ruby and nearly opaque; the bouquet is focused on the fruit with the oak providing a complementary voice to the conversation. The bouquet is ripe but also with an initial darker edge to the aromatics. This darker note dissipates with a little time in the glass, making way for a riper fruit. This wine smells like dark blackberry, boysenberry, plum and dark chocolate. This wine tastes like mulberry, red cherry, boysenberry, Santa Rosa plum and blackberry. Easy drinking, ripe but not perceived as being ‘overripe’, this wine drinks well at 4 years post vintage. The tannins are light to the touch in the mouth – with a gentle textural feel and are seamlessly integrated.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve
The 2023 Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (100% varietal) is deep ruby, opaque and sports amaranthine hues. The bouquet is a ripe union of both fruit and barrel influences. Its scents include dark plum, blackberry, boysenberry, dark cherry and a savory edge including of old cedar box, dried sage, dark olive and tobacco. Easy drinking with some noticeable depth, this wine tastes like dark cherry, blackberry, plum, and non fruited notes of dark chocolate and cocoa powder. It is plush across palate, with a texture that plays well in the mouth. The tannins are rounded, resolved and ripe – broadly dispersed they linger with a gentle tug, like that of a comforting hug. And the wine finishes with a light note of toasted oak. This drinks well at 3 years post vintage.

The 2022 Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (100% varietal); this wine is deep ruby and nearly opaque. The nose is focused on ripe fruit, with less barrel and savory influence than the 2023 expression. The nose smells scents of dark raspberry, blackberry, boysenberry and cherry. As the wine breathes it opens to a light barrel influenced sweetness. It is as ripe on the palate, if not riper than the bouquet. This is a more linear expression of the variety – expressing the warmth of the vintage. This wine tastes like cherry pie, raspberry jam, blackberry and boysenberry. And perhaps there was a lighter use of oak in this vintage versus the 2023 bottling. Silky and satiny tannins linger gently with a light dusty cadence. Their texture is seamlessly integrated into the finish. Easy drinking.

Lions & Tigers
The 2021 Becklyn Cellars Lions & Tigers Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby and opaque with purplish tones; at five years post vintage its aromatics show in a sweet spot. Hedonistic, with a forward fruited and crowd friendly olfactory profile, this wine smells like blackberry jam, boysenberry spread, cherry pie, dark fig and Satsuma plum. As ripe on the palate as the bouquet, this wine mimics the bouquet, sporting flavors of blackberry, dark plum, coral cherry, boysenberry, dark chocolate and dark cocoa powder. The tannins are present, persisting with a broadly dispersed drying grip, but never overtly dominating on the finish. Their presence continues beyond the fruit on the finish. This wine has depth, ripeness, tannin and oak integration, characteristics that will appeal to a diversity of palates, including wine enthusiasts just starting out on their journey. This wine sold out quickly to their club; we can see why. The back label reads, “If the lions don’t get you, the tigers will.”

Pangkarra
The 2023 Becklyn Cellars Pangkarra Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby, opaque and sports an amaranthine hue; it is layered in terms of ripe fruit and barrel influences with both contributions complementing each other nicely. The bouquet offers scents of blackberry, dark cherry, boysenberry, blueberry and sweeter dessert spices including of cocoa powder. A ripe expression of the variety, this wine tastes like dark plum, boysenberry, blackberry and dark cherry. The focus on the palate is on the variety – not the oak with the fruit doing much of the talking. Both oak and grape tannins are a hallmark of this wine; they are present with a light gravelly character, while also showcasing the Mike Smith textural trademark feature, rounded and never edgy. Texturally, this wine glides across the palate as effortlessly as Kristi Yamaguchi doing a figure 8 on ice. The oak that is present is felt primarily on the back of the palate. This has the delicious factor but with depth written all over both the bouquet and the palate.

Pangkarra is an Aboriginal word referring to land that is passed down from generations inherited from fathers. For the Kaurna people, it signifies a connection to land and ancestry.

No Lions & Tigers or Pangkarra was produced in 2022.

Project X
Proprietor of Napa Valley based Lerner Project, Stu Lerner visited Rick in Dallas, and during their time together, the two agreed to launch a joint venture known as Project X. The concept is straightforward: select the two best barrels from each of two acclaimed Napa Valley winemakers and blend them into a single 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The inaugural vintage was produced in 2024, featuring a collaboration between winemakers Mike Smith and Russell Bevan. Each winemaker contributed just two barrels, resulting in an extremely limited production. The wines are released under the same Project X label regardless of the collaborating winemakers. Demand was immediate—the three-packs sold out in less than three days. All Project X wines are sold exclusively through direct-to-consumer channels.

Tastings, Napa Valley
The wines are available to taste for visitors to Napa Valley at Studio 750 in St. Helena. This cozy space is located just off of Main Street in St. Helena, off the beaten path, but accessible. And like 750 Wines, Studio 750A is located in an alley, or two alleys to be more precise. And as Napa Valley based artist and the creator of the 750 Wines logo, Michael Roche told Monica, “the fun stuff happens in the alleys”. The most convenient parking is off of Money Way, a street which is more like an alley than a street, which parallels Main Street. Visits to Studio 750A are for serious wine enthusiasts and collectors. Monica has formed close relationships with many well-regarded vintners in the valley and as a result maintains a diverse collection of wines. She and her small team host clients by appointment seven days a week. She calls Studio 750A her, “triangle of love and appreciation between wineries, clients and support of Jameson Humane”.

The digs are simply decorated with the focus being on the visitor and the personalized private tasting experience. Napa Valley based interior designer Richard Von Saal contributed a number of pieces including furniture to the inside. Collectively his contributions inside this space are known as: Vonsaal ADJUNKT. And each of these pieces is for sale to be replaced with another one of a kind piece after they are sold. Incidentally, the original table at 750 Wines, which was later sold to an area vintner was one of Von Saal’s early projects. Select pieces by local but Internationally known artist, Layla Fanucci decorates some of the walls.

For more information or to purchase current release wines, visit: www.becklyncellars.com

Roots & Water, Southlake Texas
Roots & Water is a private wine club and retail wine destination located in Southlake (Dallas). The concept was inspired by another Dallas wine club whose members included some of the founders of Roots & Water. Along with partners Mark Plamondon, Charlie Stewart, John Miller, Jimmy Shoppa and AJ McClellan, they envisioned creating a similar venue in a location closer to where some of the partners live. The building itself was completed in 2020, and Roots & Water officially opened its doors in 2022.

The facility serves as both a members-only wine club and a retail wine shop. Membership includes a private 24-bottle, glass-enclosed wine lockers, along with access to the club’s numerous events and tastings throughout the year. Members can also reserve one of two private tasting rooms for personal gatherings or business meetings. The club currently has approximately 140 members, most of whom live in the Dallas area, and provides a welcoming setting where collectors can share exceptional wines with fellow enthusiasts.

The building also houses Rosebud, an upscale steakhouse in which Mark is an investor. Members can order dinner from the restaurant and enjoy it in the wine club, creating a seamless food-and-wine experience – or bring in their own catered meals. The upper three floors of the building are leased as commercial office space, while the ownership group retains ownership of the building itself.

Roots and Water also maintains a second location near the medical district in Dallas. This location does not have a retail space.

For more information and to join, visit: www.rwsouthlake.wine

Roots and Water Wine Club, Southlake