2009 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON Vineyard:      Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville Varietal:       100% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone:          Predominantly Clone 4 with Clones 6 and 337 Aging:          20 months on average Cooperage:  Darnajou and Taransaud

PRESS NOTES ON SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON:

2008 SCHRADER CELLARS CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 98+ Pts. From the reviews I gave Schrader's 2007s and 2008s last year and the 2005s and 2006s previously, to the recent Wine Spectator cover story on Fred and Carol Schrader, there doesn't appear to be a hotter Cabernet Sauvignon producer in the New World than this small boutique winery. Their wines have already received four perfect scores and with this report, that grows to six... The wines are incredibly expressive examples of Cabernet Sauvignon that are as good as it gets for this varietal. Of course they are more similar than dissimilar, but I suspect virtually every vintage they have produced to date has 25-40 years of cellaring potential, and long term aging should produce more and more subtle differences to support this compulsive study of clones and parcels within a given vineyard. I'll try and keep my notes simple, but these are profoundly great, world-class wines.

The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Schrader, which comes from Clones 4, 6 and 337, is slightly more structured and perhaps not as velvety as the CCS or RBS. Again, blue fruits, black fruits, camphor, charcoal and burning ember characteristics are presented in a full-bodied, powerful style that balances intensity with elegance and an uncanny equilibrium. This is another stunning wine that should benefit from 4-5 years of cellaring and keep for 25-30+ years. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)

Rated 98 Pts. Deep, rich, pure and extracted, exhibiting focused plum, crème de cassis and wild raspberry flavors that dance, with more fruit, a shade less earth and lots of finesse and polish. Ends with a long finish. Drink now through 2024. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)



2007 SCHRADER CELLARS CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 98 Pts. Exhibits deep, penetrating aromas of cedar, mocha and graphite, with layers of dark berry scents centered around blackberry and wild berry. Full-bodied, dense and chewy, this is a muscular and chiseled work of beauty, ending with chewy, fruit- and tobacco-infused flavors. Best from 2012 through 2025. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 96+ Pts. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard Schrader, which comes from clone 4 and clone 6, from two separate blocks, is another prodigious Cabernet. It boasts stunning concentration, a dense purple color, plenty of crushed rock, floral, black currant, pain grille, and spice box notes, and outstanding ripeness as well as richness. Forget it for 3-4 years, and enjoy it over the following 25+. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)



2006 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 98+ Pts. As I wrote last year, this is a fascinating portfolio of 100% Cabernet Sauvignons all of them from Beckstoffer-owned vineyards, including the To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, and one wine from the George III Vineyard in Rutherford. All the wines are aged in 100% new French oak, usually a combination of Darnajou and Taransaud barrels, with a higher percentage of Darnajou used for the T6, CCS, Old Sparky, and Schrader. The different bottlings are essentially based on specific blocks and/or specific clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. In short, I think the 2006s are arguably the finest wines of the vintage, and the 2007s appear to be as profound. One of the more backward efforts is the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Schrader. It is dense and full-bodied, but holding more in reserve. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)

Rated 97 Pts. Dark, dense and powerful without being heavy or ponderous. Tiers of mocha-laced currant, cassis, blackberry, spice and subtle herb shadings give this tightly focused wine great depth and personality. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)



2005 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 94 Pts. Exotic spicy, toasty, cedary oak turns taut, with firm, chewy, loamy earth, currant, anise, sage and mineral flavors that are tightly wound. Finishes with full-bodied tannins that beg for short-term cellaring. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)



2004 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
WINE SPECTATOR'S HIGHEST RATED CABERNET SAUVIGNON for the 2004 Vintage!
"ALL FOUR OF THE NEW SCHRADER CABERNETS ARE BREATHTAKING, THE BEST HE'S MADE YET."   -James Laube, Wine Spectator

Rated 97 Pts. Dark, dense and powerful without being heavy or ponderous. Tiers of mocha-laced currant, cassis, blackberry, spice and subtle herb shadings give this tightly focused wine great depth and personality. Drink now through 2015. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 96+ Pts. Made mostly from Clone 4 with some Clone 6 and Clone 337 (100% from the To-Kalon Vineyard), the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the more abundant cuvees (250 cases versus 125 of the RBS, 175 of the CCS, and 100 cases of the Old Sparky). The wine has great purity, richness, and wonderful sweet, smoky, coffee bean, and black currant notes intermixed with some spring flowers and cedar. Very rich, full-bodied, and intense, with an almost Graves-like scorched earth/hot stone sort of character, this wine exhibits superb ripeness, purity, texture, and a multi-dimensional personality. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)



2003 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 95 Pts. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville, from Clones 4 and 337 (the same vineyard source), sees a small amount of Taransaud barrels along with the Darnajou. It offers wonderful sweetness and opulence, and could be a Pomerol if it weren't 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Its deep purple color is accompanied by a big sweet nose of creme de cassis, espresso roast, smoke, licorice, and hints of caramel and coffee. Full-bodied, unctuously textured and opulent, with great purity, depth, and texture, this wine should drink well young, but age beautifully for 15 or more years. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)



2002 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 96 Pts. A delicious Cabernet, with a wonderful purity of flavor anchored by a rich, dense and concentrated core of earthy currant, blackberry, wild berry and perfumed floral aromas. Supported by firm, ripe, structured tannins. There's a lot going on in this youngster. Best from 2008 through 2014. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 95 Pts. The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon To-Kalon Vineyard Oakville reveals great ripeness, coming across like an exotic Pomerol, such as Le Pin. Roasted herbs, caramel, toffee, black currant liqueur, and sweet smoke characteristics are present in this explosively rich, unctuously-textured, pure, ripe Cabernet. Already flamboyant and accessible, it should be drunk over the next 10-12 years. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)



2001 SCHRADER CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 95 Pts. An immense, stunning, elegantly defined wine, with a rich, fleshy core of plum, blackberry and cherry fruit that's deliciously ripe and mouthcoating. Firm, ripe, integrated tannins give it grip on the finish, with a touch of fresh earth, herb and leather. Best from 2007 through 2014. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)