2009 SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON Vineyard:     Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville Varietal:       100% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone:          Clones 4, 6, and 337 Aging:          20 months on average Cooperage:  Darnajou and Taransaud Each vintage, we master blend our benchmark "Old Sparky" from the most profound barrel lots in our cellar. This exceptionally rare wine is presented in magnum or chateau formats only.

PRESS NOTES ON SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON:

2008 SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 100 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.

Another candidate for perfection, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky comes from Clone 4, Clone 6 and Clone 337 although Clone 6 dominates the blend. Also a monumental wine, it is not as nuanced as the CCS or the RBS, but it possesses serious minerality as well as huge notes of tobacco leaf, pain grille, spring flowers, blueberries, blackberries, and licorice in both the aromatic and flavor profiles. The finish is endless in this super-intense, rich wine. Like all these wines, it is a 25- to 40-year effort although the sweetness of the tannin and the emerging complexity permits enjoyment even at this infantile stage. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)

Rated 98 Pts. Amazingly complex, exhibiting a seamless, sophisticated mix of ripe blueberry, currant and hard red candy flavors, with a firm, loamy earth foundation. Yet for all this delivers up front and from midpalate on, it's the finish that sets it apart, sailing along ever so gracefully. Best from 2012 through 2025. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)



2007 SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 100 Pts. Incredibly rich and layered, with a profound mix of pure ripe plum, crème de cassis, blackberry, wild berry, spice, red and black licorice, mocha, mineral and fresh-cut flowers—simply amazing flavors that are pure and balanced, combining power with finesse. Ends with a tapered finish that weaves together the flavors with ripe, polished, yet firm tannins. Drink now through 2030. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 100 Pts. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard Old Sparky (a magnums-only blend of clone 4 from two separate blocks, clone 6, and clone 337) is another perfect wine. Ridiculous levels of concentration, without heaviness, extraordinary opulence, and amazing exuberance and flamboyance are found in this beauty along with abundant notes of creme de cassis, cedarwood, spring flowers, lead pencil shavings, and a hint of hot pebbles. It also displays outstanding purity, depth, and full-bodied power. There is a strong undercurrent of minerality in all of these wines which sets 2007 apart from other rich vintages such as 2002. The Old Sparky should also age effortlessly for three decades or more. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)



2006 SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 100 Pts. The flagship wine, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Old Sparky, is another remarkable effort, offering up smoky blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with notions of bouquet garni, roasted meats, creosote, and cedar. Tasting like a first-growth Pauillac from a very ripe, extravagantly rich vintage, this wine looks set to enjoy 25-30 or more years of longevity, as do all of these compelling Cabernets.

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. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)

Rated 99 Pts. A wow-ish mix of opulence and restraint, offering ripe, seductive currant and blackberry fruit that's full-bodied and complex, turning elegant and refined yet gaining depth and richness on the finish. Builds to an amazing crescendo of flavors. Best from 2010 through 2017. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)



2005 SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

TOP SCORE FOR SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" at the 2007 Wine Spectator New York Wine Experience, the 2005 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" was selected as the top scoring wine (by a double digit margin) for the crowd of 1,000+ wine aficionados at the Wine Spectator Editor's Choice blind tasting. This was an especially high honor considering the calliber of the wine tasters and the outstanding quality of the competition.

Rated 96 Pts. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky is a fabulous effort. Dense purple-hued with sweet, smoky, blackberry, cassis, roasted meats, toast, and licorice, it possesses tremendous texture, a sumptuous mid-palate, and a stunning finish. It will provide immense pleasure for two decades. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)

Rated 95 Pts. This has beautifully integrated fruit and oak, with pure, ripe, spicy currant, plum and black cherry fruit, shaded by toasty, spicy, cedary oak. The tannins are ripe and fine-grained, and the finish sails on, notably elegant, refined and sophisticated.(James Laube, Wine Spectator)




2004 SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

"ALL FOUR OF THE NEW SCHRADER CABERNETS ARE BREATHTAKING, THE BEST HE'S MADE YET." - James Laube, Wine Spectator

Rated 95 Pts. Impressive for its delicacy, finesse and flavors that build, with intense, concentrated ripe cherry and plum flavors that are deep and persistent, with spice, cedar and berry-laced fruit on the smooth, polished finish. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 95+ Pts. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky, which is 100% Beckstoffer fruit, and essentially a different blend of clones, primarily Clone 6, is dazzling. This wine is dense purple in color with a big, smoky, floral nose of blueberry, blackberry, creosote, and some pain grille. Its terrific texture, fabulous opulence, and power all augur for a wine that will last 20 or more years. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)




2003 SCHRADER "OLD SPARKY" CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 94+ Pts. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky is essentially a selection of the best barrels. A big, structured cuvee, it is full-bodied, dense, and as backward as the 2003 T-6, but with sweeter cassis-like aromas and flavors. This big, rich, bold, boisterous Cabernet Sauvignon will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and should keep for two decades. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 94 Pts. Medium ruby. Blackberry, minerals and licorice on the nose. A dense, sweet fruit bomb in the mouth, with lush black fruit flavors offering outstanding persistence. Tannins are quite fine. All four of these wines were aged for 20 months in 100% Darnajou barrels, with the exception of the wine labeled simply cabernet sauvignon, which was aged in a 90/10 blend of Darnajou and Taransaud. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar)