A bottle of 2017 schrader mb cabernet sauvignon on a grey background

2017 MB

The debut vintage of the To Kalon Vineyard MB explores the vast riches of the Historic To Kalon Vineyard’s Monastery Block to its fullest potential. The fruit from this gravelly vineyard block abutting the Mayacamas Mountains creates a dense, focused, round, and uniquely supple wine with miles of intensely dark, ripe black fruit, dusty earth, and toasty oak. New for the 2017 vintage, the Schrader MB shows elegance and luster, offering a unique expression of this remarkable block of the historic vineyard site.

Vintage 2017
Vineyard To Kalon Vineyard
Appellation Oakville, Napa Valley
Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
Clone Pure Clone 169
Cooperage Aged 20 months in rare Darnajou French oak barrels
Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown

Tasting Notes

The debut vintage of Schrader MB explores the vast riches of the Historic To Kalon Vineyard’s Monastery Block to its fullest potential. The fruit from this gravelly vineyard block abutting the Mayacamas Mountains creates a dense, focused, round, and uniquely supple wine with miles of intensely dark, ripe black fruit, dusty earth, and toasty oak. New for the 2017 vintage, the Schrader MB shows elegance and luster, offering a unique expression of this remarkable block of the historic vineyard site.
Accolades

97+ Pts. “Very deep purple-black colored, it bursts from the glass with a fruit explosion of blueberry compote, freshly crushed black plums, black cherry preserves and cassis, giving way to touches of red roses, cigar boxes, yeast extract and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic frame of bold freshness and very finely grained, firm tannins, impressively supporting the mouth-coating blue and black fruits, finishing very long and very perfumed.”
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate

95 Pts. “Fabulous aromas of crushed black currants, licorice, tar and violet. Inkwell, too. Medium body and tight, linear tannins that are polished and chewy. Driven finish. Needs time to open. First vintage of this wine and from Constellation's To Kalon holdings. Drink after 2022.”
— James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
MB Accolades
- 2022 To Kalon Vineyard MB —
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- 2021 To Kalon Vineyard MB — 96-98 JD, 93 WA
  
  96-98 Pts “A beast of a wine, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Monastery Block comes from a single block and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Ripe black fruits, graphite, chalky minerality, and scorched earth define the aromatics, and it's full-bodied, concentrated, and structured. It's seriously good but is going to demand bottle age.”
  — Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com
  93 Pts “All clone 169 from a block on the western edge of the vineyard, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Monastery Block To Kalon Vineyard delivers waves of black cherries and loamy earth, plus intriguing accents reminiscent of black tea. It's medium to full-bodied, firm and tannic, showing solid depth and ripeness, without the seamlessness shown by some of the other Schrader bottlings.”
  — The Wine Advocate
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- 2019 To Kalon Vineyard Monastery Block MB — 98 JS, 97 JD, 96 WS, 97-100 WA
  
  98 Pts “A fine, effusive quality from the sandalwood, violets, black pepper and blackberry concentrate. Quite a denser and more muscular expression, yet you won't feel any chew from the tannins, as they melt into the dark fruit. Long and focused. Much better if you can wait for a few years. Try from 2026.”
  — James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
  97 Pts “Revealing a vivid purple hue as well as a powerful, more black-fruited, iron, tobacco, and scorched earth-like aromatic profile, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Monastery Block is full-bodied, has a rich, powerful attack, great mid-palate density, and brilliant tannins. Coming from a famous block located on the western side of this great vineyard, brought up in new barrels, it's another 2019 that has a rounded, supple, approachable style while also bringing impressive density, depth, and structure.”
  — Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com
  96 Pts “A dark and winey style, with loads of plum, blackberry and black currant preserves tumbling through, enlivened with apple wood, anise and bramble along the way. The finish is underscored by a swath of loam and tar but the fruit keeps the upper hand, ending with a flourish of additional spice, incense and iron. A wine that flaunts it—because it can. Best from 2024 through 2038.”
  — James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
  97-100 Pts “The full-bodied palate reveals wonderfully impactful black and blue fruit layers with a to-die-for backbone of very finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness.... Very impressive!”
  — Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
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- 2018 To Kalon Vineyard MB — 98+ WA, 98 JS, 97+ JD, 96 WS
  
  98+ Pts. “Only the second vintage of this new Schrader label, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Monastery Block To Kalon Vineyard comes from clone 169 planted on the Monastery Block of the Robert Mondavi section of To Kalon vineyard in Oakville. One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, it is was aged in 100% new Darnajou and Taransaud French oak barrels for 18 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose is shut down, requiring a fair amount of swirling to unveil pronounced black currant cordial, stewed plums and blackberry preserves scents with hints of crushed rocks, tar, licorice and camphor. Medium-bodied, the palate reveals a lot of energy and tension, offering glimpses of mineral and spice accents among the tightly knit, muscular black fruit layers, supported by a solid wall of firm, grainy tannins. It finishes with great length and a lively burst of freshness. 302 cases were made.”
  — Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
  98 Pts. “An expressive and complex cabernet sauvignon with notes of plum, blackberry, toasted oak and earthy undertones. Lots of blue fruit. The palate is full and tannic with firm tannins and a long, powerful finish, showing so much black currant, blue fruit and dark chocolate. Solid. Better after 2024.”
  — James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
  97+ Pts. “Coming from the historic Monastery Block in this Grand Cru vineyard, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard MB offers a beautifully layered, full-bodied, yet structured profile that's going to benefit from bottle age. Lots of blackcurrants, gravelly earth, dark chocolate, and liquid violet-like nuances give way to a concentrated 2018 with a wonderful mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. Do your best to hide bottles for 4-5 years, and this puppy should be long-lived!”
  — Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com
  96 Pts. “This is laden with vibrant fruit, showing flavors of cassis, kirsch, linzer and acai berry, while violet, apple wood and melted licorice notes fill in where they can. Shows a bramby hint through the back end, adding good energy to the massively endowed fruit core. The finish echoes and echoes with fruit. Best from 2022 through 2038.”
  — James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
  View Wine
- 2017 To Kalon Vineyard MB — 97+ WA, 95 JS, 94 WS, 94 JD
  
  97+ Pts. “Very deep purple-black colored, it bursts from the glass with a fruit explosion of blueberry compote, freshly crushed black plums, black cherry preserves and cassis, giving way to touches of red roses, cigar boxes, yeast extract and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a fantastic frame of bold freshness and very finely grained, firm tannins, impressively supporting the mouth-coating blue and black fruits, finishing very long and very perfumed.”
  — Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
  
  95 Pts. “Fabulous aromas of crushed black currants, licorice, tar and violet. Inkwell, too. Medium body and tight, linear tannins that are polished and chewy. Driven finish. Needs time to open. First vintage of this wine and from Constellation's To Kalon holdings. Drink after 2022.”
  — James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com
  
  94 Pts. “Shows a beautiful range of warmed sassafras, sage and bay leaf aromas, with black tea and juniper hints, all of which impart a sense of lift and volume to the steeped plum and açaí berry core. Reveals a smoldering loam note through the finish. Best from 2021 through 2036. 646 cases made.”
  — James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
  94 Pts. “The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Monastery Block is always terrific, yet I always find it more linear and foursquare compared to some of the other releases in the lineup. Nevertheless, it offers a terrific bouquet of gravelly earth, ground herbs, chocolaty dark fruits, and some obvious minerality. This full-bodied Cabernet is going to benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20 plus.”
  — Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com
Vineyard

First planted in 1868 by viticultural and winemaking icon Hamilton Crabb, To Kalon Vineyard® has long been regarded as the source of Napa Valley’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Within the prime vineyard blocks, an alluvial fan provides excellent and varied mineral deposits, and the rich soils are filled with marine sediment that gives our wines their distinctive profiles. The vines receive full sun and optimal heat during the day and are cooled by marine fog at night. These conditions allow the Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the vineyard to display its own unique character, and this celebration of individuality is the essence of Schrader ®.
Vintage

Spring of 2017 was one of the largest winter rainfall totals we have experienced in recent years. Fortunately, once flowering started, the rains held off and allowed for optimal fruit set and prepared the clusters for even fruit ripening. Veraison finished at the end of August and the vines were positioned for success. Due to a combination of natural phenomena, the yields in 2017 are slightly lower and nearly matched to those that we produced in 2016 and 2015. This lower than average yield allowed for greater concentration on the vine providing the wines with more depth of character and rich complexity.

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2017 MB

Tasting Notes

Accolades

Vineyard

Vintage