2009 SCHRADER T6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON Vineyard:     Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville Varietal:       100% Cabernet Sauvignon Clone:          Clone 6 Aging:          20 months on average Cooperage:  Darnajou and Taransaud

PRESS NOTES ON SCHRADER T6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON:

2008 SCHRADER T6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 99 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 T6 (Clone 6) could be given a perfect score, it's that special. All of this is like splitting hairs, but this opaque purple-colored wine offers up lavish, luxurious notes of blueberries, black raspberries, black currants, licorice, cedar and grilled herbs. Extremely dense and opulent with a voluptuous texture, it has layer upon layer of fruit and depth, and a mindboggling finish that had me shaking my head in awe. Sadly, this amazing wine has the most limited production of all the Schrader wines. 150 cases. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)

Rated 96 Pts. Offers delicious purity of fruit, with enticing floral and fresh berry scents that are rich and seamless, elegant and refined, gaining a nice tannic traction and ending with a long, lingering, detailed finish that has a loamy earth aftertaste. Best from 2013 through 2024. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)



2007 SCHRADER T6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 99 Pts. Shows fantastic aromas of creamy mocha- and espresso-laced oak, with a beam of perfectly ripe plum, blackberry and raspberry flavors that are tight, pure and focused, joined by complex layers of loamy earth, mineral, cedar and sage, all folding together on the finish in a beautiful tapestry of flavors. Amazing length. Best from 2012 through 2026. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 97+ Pts. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard T6 (clone 6) undergoes a barrel aging regime of 20 months in 90% new Darnajou and 10% new Taransaud barrels. More backward and tightly-knit than the RBS, it offers hints of charcoal, burning embers, blackberries, and cassis in its tannic, powerful, structured personality. In short, none of these 2007s lack structure or concentration, but the T6 should not be touched for at least 7-8 years. It is a brilliant effort boasting super purity, texture, length, and concentration that is capable of 30+ years of evolution. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)



2006 SCHRADER T6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 99 Pts. A masterpiece. Capturing currant and blackberry fruit at the zenith of ripeness, this is smooth, plush and layered, with a mix of mocha, black cherry, currant and wild berry all flowing together in a steady stream. Firms up nicely on the finish, yet the flavors keep rushing through. Best from 2010 through 2018. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 98 Pts. The similarly-styled 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon T6 displays extraordinary focus and precision along with lavish amounts of creme de cassis fruit intermixed with smoked herbs, milk chocolate, and burning embers. Powerful yet silky-textured and sumptuously rich, this is another stunner to drink over the next 20-25 years.

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)



2005 SCHRADER T6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 97 Pts. Powerful, dark, superrich and deeply concentrated. Massive yet elegant, with a dense core of mocha-laced currant, blackberry, wild berry and toasty, cedary oak. Finishes with a long, intense and persistent finish. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 95 Pts. The dense purple-colored, more powerful 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon T6 (clone 6 of Cabernet Sauvignon) offers notions of sweet cassis interwoven with charcoal, spring flowers, and toasty oak. Ripe, opulent, fleshy, and full-bodied, it is surprisingly approachable for a 2005, and should drink beautifully for two decades.(Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)



2003 SCHRADER T6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
Rated 94 Pts. Dense and chewy, with a rich, massive core of earthy currant, wild berry, cedar and rye, it firms up on the finish, with taut tannins that offer a hint of chicory. The finish keeps revealing extra flavor nuances. Best from 2008 through 2013. (James Laube, Wine Spectator)

Rated 92 Pts. The backward, tannic 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon T-6 (Clone 6 from the Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard) comes across as Bordeaux-like because of the tannic structure. It is bigger, richer, and fuller-bodied than the RBS, with tremendous depth, power, and concentration, but it is more of a long-term proposition than something for immediate gratification. This wine requires 2-3 years of bottle age and should drink well for 15-20 years. (Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate)