Wine reviews
I’ll keep my notes on the 2009s brief, but as one can see, these are among the superstars of the vintage. I do not envision any of them meriting a perfect score, which will finally break the trifecta of perfection for the CCS, but these will all be mid to upper-90 point wines because they are that good. As Thomas Brown explained to me, it was a year of higher yields, cooler temperatures, and virtually all of the vineyards were harvested before the deluge arrived in mid-October. The 2009s are all made from the same Clones as the 2008s. I thought the three top cuvees were the T6, CCS and Schrader, but the RBS looks profound as well. The only wine that is perhaps lighter than expected is the George III. The 2009s should be more evolved, gorgeous to drink out of the gate, and last for 15-20 years as opposed to 30-40. (Not yet released) 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. A lot of this might be somewhat confusing, but let me try and simplify their philosophy. Schrader Cellars is essentially dedicated to showcasing one of the great vineyard sites of Napa Valley, the Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard in Oakville. They produce wines from separate clones and parcels within that vineyard. In 2000, they added another Beckstoffer vineyard, George III, in Rutherford, which has a completely different soil base and offers another study of a different terroir. I suppose one could call this a winery within a vineyard within several parcels using some of the most famed clones of Cabernet Sauvignon to further highlight these subtle differences. As one can see from the tasting notes, the Old Sparky comes from Clone 4, Clone 6 and Clone 337, the Schrader from Clone 4, Clone 6 and Clone 337, the CCS all from Clone 4, the T6 all from Clone 6, the RBS all from Clone 337 and the George III all from Clone 337. All of this results in about 1,600 cases of wine, which is not a tiny amount as the individual selections run between a maximum of 400 cases for the George III to 150 cases of the T6. The consulting winemaker for Fred and Carol Schrader is no other than Thomas Brown, who has won all kinds of accolades (well-deserved in my opinion) over the last 12 months. In essence, these wines are aged 18-24 months in a majority of Darnajou French barrels with some Taransaud included. 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. If you can find any, don’t hesitate to buy them - you won’t regret it. These wines may also appeal to those who think alcohols have gotten out of line in Napa Valley. All of them have between 14.4% and 14.7% alcohol, which is modest for such great, rich wines.
I’ll keep my notes on the 2009s brief, but as one can see, these are among the superstars of the vintage. I do not envision any of them meriting a perfect score, which will finally break the trifecta of perfection for the CCS, but these will all be mid to upper-90 point wines because they are that good. As Thomas Brown explained to me, it was a year of higher yields, cooler temperatures, and virtually all of the vineyards were harvested before the deluge arrived in mid-October. The 2009s are all made from the same Clones as the 2008s. I thought the three top cuvees were the T6, CCS and Schrader, but the RBS looks profound as well. The only wine that is perhaps lighter than expected is the George III. The 2009s should be more evolved, gorgeous to drink out of the gate, and last for 15-20 years as opposed to 30-40. (Not yet released) 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. A lot of this might be somewhat confusing, but let me try and simplify their philosophy. Schrader Cellars is essentially dedicated to showcasing one of the great vineyard sites of Napa Valley, the Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyard in Oakville. They produce wines from separate clones and parcels within that vineyard. In 2000, they added another Beckstoffer vineyard, George III, in Rutherford, which has a completely different soil base and offers another study of a different terroir. I suppose one could call this a winery within a vineyard within several parcels using some of the most famed clones of Cabernet Sauvignon to further highlight these subtle differences. As one can see from the tasting notes, the Old Sparky comes from Clone 4, Clone 6 and Clone 337, the Schrader from Clone 4, Clone 6 and Clone 337, the CCS all from Clone 4, the T6 all from Clone 6, the RBS all from Clone 337 and the George III all from Clone 337. All of this results in about 1,600 cases of wine, which is not a tiny amount as the individual selections run between a maximum of 400 cases for the George III to 150 cases of the T6. The consulting winemaker for Fred and Carol Schrader is no other than Thomas Brown, who has won all kinds of accolades (well-deserved in my opinion) over the last 12 months. In essence, these wines are aged 18-24 months in a majority of Darnajou French barrels with some Taransaud included. 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. If you can find any, don’t hesitate to buy them - you won’t regret it. These wines may also appeal to those who think alcohols have gotten out of line in Napa Valley. All of them have between 14.4% and 14.7% alcohol, which is modest for such great, rich wines.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Schrader Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is one of the more plush, overt wines in this lineup. There is tremendous depth in the fruit in this massive, sweeping wine. The aromas and flavors build towards the cascading finish. The Schrader is a decidedly big, muscular wine that emphasizes power over detail. The Schrader is predominantly clone 4 from the D2 block, with a dollop of clone 6 from the D2 block and clone 337 from the B2 block. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. I tasted the Schrader 2009s and 2010s twice this year, about five months apart, and that time has done wonders for the wines. The Schrader Cabernets are big, bold wines that nevertheless show remarkable detail and transparency to site, as is evidenced by the five separate bottlings from Andy Beckstoffer’s To Kalon vineyard in Oakville. These are essentially single-clone (and often single-block) wines that seek to highlight the unique qualities of the various Cabernet clones planted within the vineyard. I tasted the 2009s from bottle and the 2010s from barrel. Readers should note that the 2010s I tasted were base blends for each of the wines, rather than fully finished blends. I have a slight preference for the 2010s, as they are more nuanced, perfumed and finessed, while the 2009s are just a bit more similar to each other throughout the range, reflecting the nature of the years themselves. Beyond that, it really comes down to personal preference when choosing one of these wines. The RBS is the most aromatic and detailed, and in my view, complete of the wines. Readers who prefer a more overt, opulent, fruit-driven style of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will gravitate to the Old Sparky or the Schrader. Either way, it is hard to go wrong with any of these Cabernets. The wines are made in a fairly non-interventionalist style, with no SO2 added at crush, minimal rackings and no fining or filtration prior to bottling. Everything starts in the vineyard, where Brown and his team leave one cluster (minus wings) per shoot. The 2009s were aged in 100% new French oak barrels, 80-90% Darnajou the rest Taransaud
Intense and multifaceted, exhibiting dense, detailed currant, spice, chocolate brownie, crème de cassis and mocha flavors. Focused and persistent, building depth and gaining length. Best from 2014 through 2030. 375 cases made. – JL