Yellow citrus and white stone fruit are complimented by white travertine, fresh pizza dough, honeycomb, salt rock, quince, lime pith, clementine albedo, and white floral notes to offer up a gourmand showing on the front end that fills the mouth but still manages to do so with class and forbearance. A Champagne that keenly straddles the line between richness and focus, with the dosage showing some occupancy, but luckily as a cordial and tidy bunkmate. Not too showy or cloying at all. Finishes with an acidic uptick that is quickly softened by its sensibly exhibited creaminess.
2014 vintage. 8g/L dosage. I didn't check the disgorgement date, but this is supposed to be bottle-aged for 5 years and left for another 8 months before disgorgement. I'm not sure who got this particular bottle through TSA from Europe, since I haven't seen it released in the US yet, but it was a lovely little Champagne worth keeping my eye out for. The dosage is a little heavy for my preference, but it carried it well. A "crowd pleaser" type of Champagne that also has moments of geek-out appeal, too. 92-94 points depending on your dosage tolerance.
A stellar performance and unquestionably the best wine in the lineup, the 2018 Heritage Clone To Kalon forces you to stop in your tracks before you even try to take a sip, with a nose that blossoms aromas of steeped plum, blackberry, chocolate, and hints of spicy cedar. Once you're done chewing on the intoxicating fragrances, the palate follows suit and is front-loaded with gobs of blackberry, bitter chocolate, spice box, sweet cedar, ripe purple plum, and black raspberry cordial.
The frame here is extraordinary, as is the deeply pitched concentration that is deftly housed among walls of sweet tannin and flexing acidity. It is a monster that doesn't show a lick of out-of-bounds booze due to the uber-ripe fruit fully able to absorb any of the cocktaily elements that would stand to distract from the complexity of the core flavors. Finishes with an exacting red licorice note that overlays its blacker fruited counterparts; however, this is otherwise a dark and deep animal. The purity of fruit is simply off the charts.
96-99+ points depending on how your stylistic preferences are geared when it comes to extraction and modernity in your Napa Cabernets. If you're reading this, I imagine it's quite liberal. Those holding bottles will find great reward with this wine. As for a drinking window, I can't make a decent argument as to why one just shouldn't start popping corks now. It has the stuffing to perform well for at least a decade from a freshness standpoint, and likely twice as long for those seeking additional nuance. It's ripe and ready as far as I'm concerned. So, rock on party goers. Fire at will...
Much improved since my last sampling of this wine back in 2018, this vintage of RBS certainly has shown its willingness to develop in terms of breaking past the prickly barriers it was struggling to poke through a few years back. Like many 2013s, this bounces back and forth from tight to tender, and there is still a reluctance for the fruit to fully expand, with a slightly bitter note that slightly stifles the complete drop of concentration and weight. A pyrazine note adds to this dynamic. However, that said (and this is somewhat splitting hairs), the 2013 is a complex and intriguing wine that certainly manages to flaunt its dark chocolate, black rock, green peppercorn, and blackberry notes with confidence and intent.
I personally found the pyrazine note to counterbalance the ripe fruit quite efficiently, at least from a breadth and weight standpoint. This feels like a wine for the ages, as in twenty years from vintage in age before it reaches its optimum drinking window. I typically don't forecast that far out when talking modern and extracted Napa Cabs, but I think this may be the exception to the rule, with the vintage totally responsible for making such a prediction potentially realized down the line.
With air, this starts to really tighten up on the back end, but the focus remains phenomenal. A serious wine with a serious future. Hold bottles for now my restless friends. 94-95++ points.
This is listed as either the Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon (no TK designation) or with the To Kalon reference. It seems to have been a one-bottle part of the "Super Pack" back when it was released, but I struggle to keep track of what pack is what and with what contents. Regardless, this sample is labeled as the "2016 Schrader," from a composition of clones 4, 6, and 337 from To Kalon.
This is a powerful wine (certainly the biggest gym rat in the lineup), and like the others sampled, a definite representation of the vintage from which it's spawned. Black cherry and red and black raspberry flavors dominate, with chewy tannins laying heavy hits of ripe fruit and iron on the palate. The 100% Darnajou lumber kicks off its toasted spice and smoke effects with conviction and fortitude. Finishes as it starts, with power and push.
This was a favorite among most at the table. It's certainly an attention-grabber that'll inject mega empowerment into any wine monarch looking for sovereign and unrestrained flavor. I'd give this another 5+ years to settle into itself. At the moment, it's a predator looking for victims, but in a good modern day Robin Hood Equalizer anti-hero kind of way. 95+ points.
Oh this is a shag-a-licious mojo-kickin' beast that's all about velour robes, cigars, and a crackling fireplace at midnight. Plush, silky, velvety, and a textural kitten purr of a wine, the 2012 Sparky is all about smooth talkin' bear huggin' and good lovin'. Round and rich, the signature ripe blackberry, muddled raspberry, roasted spices, and chocolate-covered-cherry flavors gush and ooze and flow and undulate with groovy panache and depth. Fleetingly fruity, but overall a wonderfully chewy and lustrous showing.
I don't know how long these will last necessarily, but who cares. I mean really, if you get a case of the big deals and want something to compliment your swagger and sassy come-hither vibe, just grab yourself a trusty Mag of Old Sparky and let the lava lamp interplay commence. 96-97+ points.
A slight funk on the nose gives way to more pronounced fruit aromas of wild berries and plum. On the palate, dark berry compote is intermixed with leather, cedar, and currant notes, signaling the progression of this wine and its comparative age amongst its other siblings. Considering it is 13 years from vintage, this CCS has plenty of requisite energy and verve, with a notable grip that persists with air. The more developed leather and cigar notes add interest, especially for those looking for some additional nuance and secondary/tertiary flavors from these otherwise big and lusciously rich wines. Drink now and over the next 5-7 years.
2014 Louis Roederer Champagne Blanc de Blancs 94 Points
France, Champagne
Yellow citrus and white stone fruit are complimented by white travertine, fresh pizza dough, honeycomb, salt rock, quince, lime pith, clementine albedo, and white floral notes to offer up a gourmand showing on the front end that fills the mouth but still manages to do so with class and forbearance. A Champagne that keenly straddles the line between richness and focus, with the dosage showing some occupancy, but luckily as a cordial and tidy bunkmate. Not too showy or cloying at all. Finishes with an acidic uptick that is quickly softened by its sensibly exhibited creaminess.
2014 vintage. 8g/L dosage. I didn't check the disgorgement date, but this is supposed to be bottle-aged for 5 years and left for another 8 months before disgorgement. I'm not sure who got this particular bottle through TSA from Europe, since I haven't seen it released in the US yet, but it was a lovely little Champagne worth keeping my eye out for. The dosage is a little heavy for my preference, but it carried it well. A "crowd pleaser" type of Champagne that also has moments of geek-out appeal, too. 92-94 points depending on your dosage tolerance.
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2018 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone To-Kalon Vineyard 99 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
A stellar performance and unquestionably the best wine in the lineup, the 2018 Heritage Clone To Kalon forces you to stop in your tracks before you even try to take a sip, with a nose that blossoms aromas of steeped plum, blackberry, chocolate, and hints of spicy cedar. Once you're done chewing on the intoxicating fragrances, the palate follows suit and is front-loaded with gobs of blackberry, bitter chocolate, spice box, sweet cedar, ripe purple plum, and black raspberry cordial.
The frame here is extraordinary, as is the deeply pitched concentration that is deftly housed among walls of sweet tannin and flexing acidity. It is a monster that doesn't show a lick of out-of-bounds booze due to the uber-ripe fruit fully able to absorb any of the cocktaily elements that would stand to distract from the complexity of the core flavors. Finishes with an exacting red licorice note that overlays its blacker fruited counterparts; however, this is otherwise a dark and deep animal. The purity of fruit is simply off the charts.
96-99+ points depending on how your stylistic preferences are geared when it comes to extraction and modernity in your Napa Cabernets. If you're reading this, I imagine it's quite liberal. Those holding bottles will find great reward with this wine. As for a drinking window, I can't make a decent argument as to why one just shouldn't start popping corks now. It has the stuffing to perform well for at least a decade from a freshness standpoint, and likely twice as long for those seeking additional nuance. It's ripe and ready as far as I'm concerned. So, rock on party goers. Fire at will...
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2013 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Much improved since my last sampling of this wine back in 2018, this vintage of RBS certainly has shown its willingness to develop in terms of breaking past the prickly barriers it was struggling to poke through a few years back. Like many 2013s, this bounces back and forth from tight to tender, and there is still a reluctance for the fruit to fully expand, with a slightly bitter note that slightly stifles the complete drop of concentration and weight. A pyrazine note adds to this dynamic. However, that said (and this is somewhat splitting hairs), the 2013 is a complex and intriguing wine that certainly manages to flaunt its dark chocolate, black rock, green peppercorn, and blackberry notes with confidence and intent.
I personally found the pyrazine note to counterbalance the ripe fruit quite efficiently, at least from a breadth and weight standpoint. This feels like a wine for the ages, as in twenty years from vintage in age before it reaches its optimum drinking window. I typically don't forecast that far out when talking modern and extracted Napa Cabs, but I think this may be the exception to the rule, with the vintage totally responsible for making such a prediction potentially realized down the line.
With air, this starts to really tighten up on the back end, but the focus remains phenomenal. A serious wine with a serious future. Hold bottles for now my restless friends. 94-95++ points.
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2016 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
This is listed as either the Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon (no TK designation) or with the To Kalon reference. It seems to have been a one-bottle part of the "Super Pack" back when it was released, but I struggle to keep track of what pack is what and with what contents. Regardless, this sample is labeled as the "2016 Schrader," from a composition of clones 4, 6, and 337 from To Kalon.
This is a powerful wine (certainly the biggest gym rat in the lineup), and like the others sampled, a definite representation of the vintage from which it's spawned. Black cherry and red and black raspberry flavors dominate, with chewy tannins laying heavy hits of ripe fruit and iron on the palate. The 100% Darnajou lumber kicks off its toasted spice and smoke effects with conviction and fortitude. Finishes as it starts, with power and push.
This was a favorite among most at the table. It's certainly an attention-grabber that'll inject mega empowerment into any wine monarch looking for sovereign and unrestrained flavor. I'd give this another 5+ years to settle into itself. At the moment, it's a predator looking for victims, but in a good modern day Robin Hood Equalizer anti-hero kind of way. 95+ points.
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2012 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 97 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Oh this is a shag-a-licious mojo-kickin' beast that's all about velour robes, cigars, and a crackling fireplace at midnight. Plush, silky, velvety, and a textural kitten purr of a wine, the 2012 Sparky is all about smooth talkin' bear huggin' and good lovin'. Round and rich, the signature ripe blackberry, muddled raspberry, roasted spices, and chocolate-covered-cherry flavors gush and ooze and flow and undulate with groovy panache and depth. Fleetingly fruity, but overall a wonderfully chewy and lustrous showing.
I don't know how long these will last necessarily, but who cares. I mean really, if you get a case of the big deals and want something to compliment your swagger and sassy come-hither vibe, just grab yourself a trusty Mag of Old Sparky and let the lava lamp interplay commence. 96-97+ points.
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2008 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
A slight funk on the nose gives way to more pronounced fruit aromas of wild berries and plum. On the palate, dark berry compote is intermixed with leather, cedar, and currant notes, signaling the progression of this wine and its comparative age amongst its other siblings. Considering it is 13 years from vintage, this CCS has plenty of requisite energy and verve, with a notable grip that persists with air. The more developed leather and cigar notes add interest, especially for those looking for some additional nuance and secondary/tertiary flavors from these otherwise big and lusciously rich wines. Drink now and over the next 5-7 years.
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