Schrader RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Elements of a classic Napa Valley vintage, this harvest offered impressive colour and concentration of the fruit. At times during the vintage, Thomas and the team were challenged by wildly variable conditions including lingering drought and unseasonable and sustained periods of high temperatures. Overcoming these challenges, the ideal environment and the vineyard teams dedication, delivered low yields of small, intensely flavoured berries, that achieved peak ripeness and marked complexity. 2021 showcases the balance of power and poise, the hallmarks of this vintage.

Beckstoffer's vineyard in Oakville, first planted in 1868 by viticultural and winemaking icon Hamilton Crabb, has long been regarded as the source of Napa Valley's finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. This section of the vineyard is situated in the heart of the valley. An alluvial fan provides excellent mineral deposits, and the rich soils are filled with marine sediment. The vines receive full sun and optimal heat during the day and are cooled by marine fog at night. These conditions allow each of the three clones planted in this vineyard (4, 6, and 337) to display its own unique character, and this celebration of individuality is the essence of Schrader.

98 Pts. "So packed and dense with blackberry, black currant, and boysenberry compote flavours that this seems like a black hole, but there's coiled energy buried deeply within in the form of tensile graphite girders. In the meantime, exotic accents of violet, anise and iris start to dart out from the core as this opens in the glass, adding remarkable range. This impressive, large-scale wine offers a sense of guile and mystery when all is said and done. Drink now through 2050."
— James Moleworth, Wine Spectator

97 Pts. "Coming all from Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS is an incredibly seamless, full-bodied beauty that has a terrific sense of minerality in its red, blue, and black fruits as well as hints of espresso and spicy oak. It's flawlessly balanced, has no hard edges, and a rare mix of power and elegance. Drink this beauty anytime over the coming 20-25 years."
— Jeb Dunnuck