2011 RBS


The true essence of Napa Valley Cabernet, this elegant, classically styled 2011 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS offers an exceptional experience that pairs muscular power with magnificent finesse. Wildly aromatic, the wine delivers copious amounts of creme de cassis, red currant and smoky aromas complimented by flavors of blackberry and plum compote with notes of crushed rock minerality. Perfectly balanced with silky smooth texture, the wine is eminently approachable upon release, yet possesses a rich, well-woven tannin structure that will carry through the years to come.

  • Vintage 2011
  • Vineyard Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
  • Appellation Oakville, Napa Valley
  • Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Clone Pure Clone 337
  • Cooperage Aged 20 months in rare Darnajou French oak barrels
  • Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown
  • Tasting Notes

    The true essence of Napa Valley Cabernet, this elegant, classically styled wine offers an exceptional experience that pairs muscular power with magnificent finesse. Wildly aromatic, the wine delivers copious amounts of creme de cassis, red currant and smoky aromas complimented by flavors of blackberry and plum compote with notes of crushed rock minerality. Perfectly balanced with silky smooth texture, the wine is eminently approachable upon release, yet possesses a rich, well-woven tannin structure that will carry through the years to come.

  • Accolades

    91 Pts. “The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS is lighter than usual, but still very attractive, forward and endearing ... one of the positives in 2011. The color is a healthy dark ruby/purple and the wine is clean, with no herbaceous or mean green characteristics. This elegant, medium-bodied 2011 is ideal for drinking over the next 10-12 years.”
    — Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

    91 Pts. “Dense and powerful, with potent fresh earth and rocky, gravel pit touches, overshadowing the dried dark berry, licorice and spice notes. Ends with depth and length even as the tannins apply the brakes. Drink now through 2023.”
    — James Laube, Wine Spectator

  • 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

    The 2011 vintage was the most challenging harvest we have ever experienced in Napa Valley. In short, the vintage separated producers based on their attention to detail in the vineyard and experience, where timely decision-making became integral to the outcome of the harvest. Extreme reductions in the vineyard were followed by single berry sorting at the winery. In the end, we harvested a very small yet remarkably high quality crop. We are thrilled, though not at all surprised, that winemaker Thomas Brown brilliantly navigated Mother Nature’s gauntlet to produce an exquisite portfolio of wines.