![2020 1ng SB 01](https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1375&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2200&s=021929f2006a1acb6b7f67316a3f1ff1 2200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1250&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2000&s=21926eee311422e07866c800c0d60ea5 2000w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1125&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1800&s=62c4990d0faf059ca784a6efdcdb5002 1800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1600&s=d5a0b418522d52c522f97af783699c9f 1600w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=812&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1300&s=0c0a925bb565f0be0785284584bbe26f 1300w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=687&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1100&s=b0086bb689b1f3741fa48105d47468ac 1100w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=562&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=900&s=f4b0d1ef18ff1d5ae531ad954b673256 900w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=800&s=e0d830cef37a97959e36850036e67435 800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=375&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=600&s=dd44365a071c87c3e5a0445fd1523e06 600w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/blog/2020-1ng-SB-01.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=250&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=400&s=1a15c74c523fc62d4d5b0906325a2490 400w)
Beckmen 2.0: The Evolution of 1NGREDIENT Continues
Posted: Mar 25, 2022
Beckmen is a farmer first winery. Steve Beckmen’s philosophy is to grow great wines, rather than overcome the limitations of a vineyard through manipulation in the cellar. That means fastidious vineyard management utilizing the techniques of biodynamic farming and capitalizing on the potential of the rich soils and unique climate that we enjoy at Beckmen Vineyards. Over the decades, Steve has learned from the land and steadily honed his craft as a grape grower to forge one of California’s great vineyards. Inspired by the evolution of Purisima Mountain Vineyard, he wanted to evolve as a winemaker and bottle something completely different, something that expressed Purisima Mountain Vineyard with a higher fidelity.
Steve was driven by both the increased quality of fruit coming from the Purisima Mountain Vineyard and by the quality of traditional white wines that he tasted in Northern Italy, made with skin-contact and aged in clay vessels. It was in Italy that Steve found Tava Anfore, a Trento-based potter of traditional winemaking amphora. Steve worked with Tava to determine the right composition of clay and sand as well as the right firing temperature to customize the amount of oxygen the wines would be exposed to throughout fermentation. Armed with these bespoke clay pots and some of the best grapes that he’d ever grown, seeking a new challenge, 1NGREDIENT was born.
![2020 1ng SB amphora1](https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2933&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2200&s=186b0059fb6718e42119919933e003aa 2200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2666&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2000&s=2b64c5625a3c45be2ddfa64fccb01ab6 2000w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2400&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1800&s=23b868637d1593ff1f988f3633a14751 1800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2133&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1600&s=a02fc1f0df4addf4cabb90fa3dd692b3 1600w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1733&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1300&s=91d4d89a3002070d0ec13a4cd25c5aa6 1300w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1466&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1100&s=481040dd2a90ac3743d42dc9749c6b5b 1100w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=900&s=3d3016b319436e4174ebf8c3aed0d562 900w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1066&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=800&s=ca2a6ce75cb67907c88e2e8ba0a595aa 800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=266&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=200&s=471c899ecac5cb76953bdebcb4151667 200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=400&s=cd478f7646f81687910be19b1cd48e0b 400w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-amphora1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=600&s=ded7a8e65448acccddceaa139041dd64 600w)
1NGREDIENT is Steve Beckmen showcasing his biodynamic fruit through the lens of traditional winemaking. Wines are made naturally, without oak, additives, preservatives or other distortions. As a winemaker, this required starting over and considering the process with a fresh perspective. It reminded Steve of his first days making wine.
“Starting out Beckmen, we were chasing the wine. We didn’t know what it was going to be. With time, you learn how to make the wine do what you want. This project like starting over, but with a heck of a lot of knowledge and experience to work from.”
Grapes are always the most important ingredient in wine, in 1NGREDIENT, they are the only ingredient. Not all wines that are called “natural” are made with only one ingredient. In truly natural winemaking, no chemicals can be added to paint over any errors. Rough edges can’t be smoothed out later through adjustments. The first take has to be perfect. Utilizing the protection of amphora and the natural preservatives in the grape skin, traditionally crafted, additive-free wine can be rich and complex, while maintaining a clear expression of fruit. So why doesn’t everyone make wine with just one ingredient? Well, the secret ingredients required are heavy additions of hard work, uncertainty and patience. Steve compares conversion to natural winemaking to converting to biodynamic farming.
“Converting vineyards to organics or working with a recently converted vineyard takes a lot of extra work, but after a while, it gets easier. We’re still checking the amphora regularly and figuring out the best position for them within the cellar. You have to consider every small improvement that you could make.”
Starting in the vineyard, these wines are impossible to make without pristine fruit. So-called “natural” wines that don’t come from pesticide-free vineyards betray their implied ecological principles and no longer offer any rewards in the promise of true vineyard expression (who wants a clearer expression of a poor vineyard). Because Beckmen has been farming biodynamically since 2002, the challenges really begin in the cellar. To capture the Purisima Mountain Vineyard vividly, the wines had to be cleanly fermented and aged, or the purpose of the project would be lost. The pots of fermenting wine are monitored daily and carefully topped off to prevent oxidation or contamination. Wines are racked into a tank to rest where they naturally evolve and clarify by gravity. This is all done by siphon, without machine. No fining or filtration is used. This process is arduous, and the difficulty is compounded by the risk of contamination in making a wine without preservatives.
![2020 1ng SB pressingb](https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2933&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2200&s=3bba710ffa561f8defbdc8d535954e8f 2200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2666&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2000&s=37b67a50b053c43fb5b07b5db9fe9c44 2000w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2400&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1800&s=f6558c9e69956a09c30ff2cfb84b3700 1800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2133&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1600&s=aab8742eeeb8a50b7cb1580304582a26 1600w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1733&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1300&s=1f869819c793710b111517ccf09e90f7 1300w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1466&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1100&s=b6cc27185f213fcddf9f9a4331a0c0b2 1100w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=900&s=8082f9b2fd60112b533ffdd2dc38a857 900w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1066&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=800&s=9d93ae79c102840c451e0495162ed7ea 800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=266&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=200&s=b13fb9e1116152ba1ae82a866ab90156 200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=400&s=7b7b62407e460d8f5ab0cb7b11403abf 400w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressingb.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=600&s=03944fec8d6eb12cfd0e2970c2103c2f 600w)
![2020 1ng SB pressing1](https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2933&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2200&s=f5d301b2851e2a2689e32c4245a49851 2200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2666&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2000&s=c419882cea71d74686ab46badbdac4a3 2000w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2400&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1800&s=917db6b3867f4edbca1c27589bcba0b9 1800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=2133&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1600&s=a09846abae498cc05647be92cb2b09b0 1600w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1733&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1300&s=a8c28c8dd37e10b48498848b541f7b85 1300w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1466&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1100&s=ae8a5221cab9b593405f8a872511be6d 1100w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1200&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=900&s=937e356c28ebaef3b4a37f3f157c260a 900w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1066&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=800&s=e44d09ca43da6f565aa2cb568f3cf3c1 800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=266&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=200&s=0958ae2a0775f8caa9786982eeaf126d 200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=533&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=400&s=2771e3835865fc4a750a30e0c43eaea9 400w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-pressing1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=600&s=a835dfc96f5618228a4c5a12bd80f221 600w)
Steve’s winemaking evolution has always been guided by learning from the land and applying these lessons to the next vintage. He’s now learning how to leverage traditional winemaking to best express Purisima Mountain Vineyard. A lesson learned from the 2018 1NGREDIENT Sauvignon Blanc was to pick slightly earlier to better express the signature qualities of Ballard Canyon Sauvignon Blanc. Beckmen Sauvignon Blanc is generally harvested over several evenings to capture a wider range of the grape’s expressions throughout ripening, but for the 2020 1NGREDIENT Sauvignon Blanc, only the earliest harvest was used. The result is a skin-contact white that comes in with a lemongrass sheen rather than a deeper orange. The natural greenish tint of Sauvignon Blanc bestows a natural radiance rarely found in beverage. Rather than the sharper tannin in some darker skin-contact whites, the delicate structure of the Sauvignon Blanc acts to embellish the chalky limestone minerality of this fruit.
![2020 1ng SB 04](https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1375&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2200&s=0fe56a9b4f3f493ef209222f57ae6384 2200w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1250&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=2000&s=621b4e5d815e863f8d3cd702d2ec277a 2000w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1125&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1800&s=35079fa63bfce2d8892c8a26a9602ffa 1800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1600&s=7c3d8be03e1afe29b1a4b4ef1de4d457 1600w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=812&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1300&s=4a53a09f50b866c71c7d829733d97b2a 1300w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=687&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=1100&s=82d3ef32bb5c5135a2af94a6b36c2801 1100w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=562&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=900&s=71325b6abac3ba0f7ac6b0a585b9a116 900w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=800&s=25373f2171cf825adcfc8e0d6f8b4e46 800w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=375&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=600&s=ce274d2aa8c28e7746a58cdecd9bf310 600w, https://beckmen.imgix.net/general-images/2020-1ng-SB-04.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&domain=beckmen.imgix.net&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=250&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=400&s=7a5c836b14c1f88caa4317351d86da47 400w)
Another lesson learned from the 2018 vintage was that natural winemaking requires great patience. The wine finds a natural harmony over a longer period in tank and bottle before release. Longer resting helps to integrate the tannin into the wine and to allow some of the rich stone fruit character to emerge from the powerful candied citrus flavors that dominate the palate of the young wine. After 10 months on skins in amphora and 2 months in tank, the wine is bottled by hand and aged a full year in bottle. Over years of maturation in bottle, drinkers will see the apple and pear notes come forth and the tannins integrate deeper further.
The combination of Sauvignon Blanc’s brisk acidity and natural antioxidant qualities of grape skins allows this wine to age more gracefully than typical Sauvignon Blanc bottlings, all without sulphur dioxide additions. This release offers a rare opportunity to experience a Sauvignon Blanc that continues to evolve after days of being open or over decades in your cellar. At $50, the 2020 1NGREDIENT Sauvignon Blanc is the least expensive of our natural wines, but it is in many ways the most inviting, approachable, and surprising. If you haven’t tried 1NGREDIENT, this is the time to do it. Only 63 cases were produced.
The Beckmen Vineyards style is anything but boring. Steve has always pushed boundaries and taken risks to make powerful, expressive wines. With 1NGREDIENT winemaking, the challenges and risks were greater, but the rewards are more satisfying. 1NGREDIENT is the evolution of Beckmen Vineyards, and every vintage is another step in the journey towards revealing the potential for what grapes can become.