100 Points Parker - limited Limited new release from Schrader Cellars. 100 Points Robert Parker: "The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer to Kalon Vineyard CCS is Clone 4 from another block, and always seems to hit all the sweet spots on my palate. It’s aged 20 months in 100% new Darnajou barrels. Just a prodigious wine, this spectacular Cabernet Sauvignon is inky bluish/purple with a gorgeous nose of spring flowers, blueberry, blackberry and cassis fruit, a touch of background toast and graphite. It has a very full-bodied, multidimensional mouthfeel and a skyscraper-like finish. It is fabulously open, sexy and a total thrill to smell and taste. This should continue to drink well for two decades.... ...The Schraders, working with well-known winemaking consultant Thomas Rivers Brown, continue to farm and produce some of the world’s greatest Cabernet Sauvignons from three fabulous Beckstoffer-owned vineyards: the To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, the Georges III Vineyard in Rutherford and the Las Piedras Vineyard in St. Helena. To Kalon is gravelly, eluvial, loamy soils; Georges III Vineyard is an old creek bed; and Las Piedras Vineyard in St. Helena is planted on old river rock and gravelly loam. All of these blocks utilized for Schrader’s wines encompass over 25+ acres and are custom-farmed – as Fred Schrader likes to say, essentially “virtual vineyards,” even though they’re not owned by the Schraders. Their initial focus, which has proven so successful, is essentially a microscopic study of different clones planted in different blocks with exactly the same philosophy of viticulture, harvesting, winemaking, élevage and bottling. Production of all the 2012s, which was a slightly more generous and later harvest than 2013 with bigger berries, ranges from 200 cases for the Old Sparky and Georges III, to 520 for the CCS, 420 for the T6, 625 for the RBS, 370 for the Schrader, 620 for the LPV and 100 cases for the newest baby, the Colesworthy, which is a selection of the best barrels of their Las Piedras offering. Some of the other characteristics of these wines are that they all spend about 20 months in barrel, but the percentages of new Darnajou and new Taransaud varied from cuvée to cuvée, although the CCS is 100% new Darnajou, as are the Old Sparky and the Colesworthy. Finished alcohol on the 2012s is in line with other vintages, at 14.4%-14.6%. And in 2013, virtually identical numbers of 14.4%-14.6% were achieved. The consistency and the analytical aspects of the wines is mirrored in the incredible quality that Schrader has produced.
Ron R
Very contemporary. Stylistically it’s off the charts. No rush to consume this vintage.
Very contemporary. Stylistically it’s off the charts. No rush to consume this vintage.
9.5Roy Goble
So glad I waited on this. Seems to be at its pinnacle now. Wow.
So glad I waited on this. Seems to be at its pinnacle now. Wow.
10Connor McMahon
Happy Sunday! WHAT!
Happy Sunday! WHAT!
9.5Chelli Webster
VP Marketing/Sales Webster Cellars
So big and ripe, needs to be put back in the cellar for a long time.
So big and ripe, needs to be put back in the cellar for a long time.
8.8John Skupny - Lang & Reed Wine Company
The pot roast needed a cup red 'claret'. Thought this would work. Big stuff - still tightly wound. Not 'old sparky' but maybe Mark L can come up with another photo comparison!
The pot roast needed a cup red 'claret'. Thought this would work. Big stuff - still tightly wound. Not 'old sparky' but maybe Mark L can come up with another photo comparison!
9.1Vivek
Small’s
Small’s
9.8Rick Wolfen
Perfect! Really. Depth, balance, finish. Excellent!
Perfect! Really. Depth, balance, finish. Excellent!
10Billy L.
2012 CCS Schrader Beckstoffer To-Kalon Absolutely perfect! RP
2012 CCS Schrader Beckstoffer To-Kalon Absolutely perfect! RP
10Michael Patrone
Fruit forward with great tannins that linger on the tongue. Balanced EtOH
Fruit forward with great tannins that linger on the tongue. Balanced EtOH
9.9Paul T- Huntington Beach
Saw a few low scores for this vintage even though its a Parker
Saw a few low scores for this vintage even though its a Parker
9.9WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.