Wine reviews
Offers wonderful complexity and purity of fruit, with firm currant, spice, anise and cedary, toasty, smoky oak that tightens up on the finish, where the tannins flex their muscles. Best from 2010 through 2017. 125 cases made. –JL
“This is a fascinating portfolio of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines, all but one from one of Napa Valley’s most renowned sites, the Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. The twist here is that Fred Schrader and his winemaker, Thomas Brown, tend to present their different bottlings based on specific blocks or specific clones of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Beckstoffer Vineyard. The wines are mostly aged in 100% new Darnajou barrels. (Schrader is also the broker for these barrels, so he puts his money where his mouth is.) These are fullthrottle, spectacular Cabernets with great texture, richness, and intensity. I suspect they have 15-20 years of aging potential. The only cuvee that is not from the Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard is the Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford’s Georges III Vineyard, also owned by the Beckstoffer family. The 2005s are stunning wines that have all put on weight and character since I tasted them last year.” The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS reveals gorgeously sweet fruit, stunning structure, a black/purple color, and notes of creosote, spring flowers, cedar, and pain grillé. It should evolve effortlessly for 20 years.
Nearly perfect, the opaque purple-colored 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS reveals notes of graphite, charcoal, blackberries, cedar, crème de cassis, and a hint of chocolate. Oodles of concentration, remarkable purity and density, and a finish that lasts over 60 seconds suggest this beauty should drink well for 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 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, and one wine from the Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III 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. Given the fact that these wines seem to put on weight once they are in bottle, the 2007s may eclipse the extraordinary 2006s produced by Carol and Fred Schrader, and their brilliant winemaker, Thomas Brown. Total production of these cuvees is just over 1,500 cases, with the average for each offering 200-250 cases. Readers should keep in mind that all of these wines are aged in 100% new French oak for 20 months, bottled with no clarification, and possess alcohols ranging from 14.5% to 14.9%. This was one of the most exciting tastings I have done in 2008!
Gushes with juicy, opulent blackberry and wild berry fruit notes delivered in layers, with hints of licorice, sage, underbrush and cedary oak, all well-proportioned, and ending with a long, lingering aftertaste. Drink now through 2024. 125 cases made.—J.L.