Cristal and Fontodi Flaccianello plus Riverain and Schrader (served blind) (Foretti's in Corona Del Mar): Served blind. Carol Schrader brought this to our dinner, with a smile too as she has a deep connection to the wine. I believe she said this was the first CCS made, and it has some of the Las Piedras blended into it. This was richer styled with good acid and lots of blue fruit (which is what I found as well on the 2014 CCS that was poured blind at an event we did a few weeks ago). It also showed an inky coloring around the inside of the glass and a terrific freshness for a wine that has already pushed past 15 years of age. Thomas sure did make some ageworthy wines in his Schrader craft.
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Stable from our first taste 03/02/15. No flaws. Minimal sediment. Minimal rim variation. Classic California cabernet. Low tannin and acid. Medium alcohol and long finish. Ready to drink and plenty of bottle life left.
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This wine made the birthday boy very happy but just too ripe and pruney to me with no real shape. Maybe it's just me, but relative to auction value, I should have let others enjoy. That said, the birthday boy loved it.
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Who can tell the difference between this or any other Schrader, short of maybe Old Sparky? I HATE the business plan, as I think I have mentioned in other notes. 04 can be a Napa roller coaster ride. Schrader seems to have done better than most, but it is a vintage that was on the precipice of big ass going to Kardashian mode. An 04 RBS drunk Christmas 2013 was fresher and had more pleasing fruit. There isn't enough acid to get it reliably past age 10. I didn't mind drinking it, but it was lost next to first growth Bordeaux and red label Giacosa. Never send a boy to do a man's job. Drink up. Ha! I just read my earlier notes after posting this. It really validates the slide I experienced. The real power of CT! demonstrated.
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Lovely wine and drinking great. Ripe silky sweet red cherry, strawberries, and raspberry flavors. Nice depth of flavors and framed nicely by well integrated acidity and fine tannins. In its prime, but good life ahead.
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Blackberry juice color, showing density yet not a syrupy glass feel. Intoxicating nose of perhaps one of the most concentrated blackberry, blueberry, kirsch, and black currant straight from the vine picked aroma I have ever experienced, the purity is astounding for a wine with 12 years in the bottle. With airtime slowly revealing secondary hints of marmalade, molasses, following by tertiary elements of forest, shrub and moss. The palate continues along the same vein. However time in glass leads to touches of forest, evergreen, and cedar with some spice. The finish is 90 plus seconds and satisfying. Clearly showing the potential to age another 10, however no need to wait in my opinion.
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This wine was incredible. We were having a casual dinner party on our second or third bottle of wine with two other couples and the email from Schrader came out announcing Parkers 10 year retrospective and only 100 pointer in the group (not this wine). So we decided to open my last 2004 on a lark. We popped and poured and should have decanted as the last sip was the best. Dark purple in color with a nose of blackberry and dark fruits. Silky and softened tannins with a wonderful mouth feel with creme de cassis on a 45 second finish. We should have decanted for an hour at least but alas it was my last bottle.
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Look at me ma I'm drinking cali cab! Another impressive Schrader. Needed about 2 hours in the decanter to integrate the alcohol on the finish, but once it did, it was a very nice drink. It had a weightlessness to it that I was not expecting as it wasn't nearly as big and bold on the initial attack but at the same time had a deep dark core of sweet fruit that lingered on the finish.
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Catching up on notes from way back. Big, bold and brilliant like every Schrader I've tasted. Pure and thick blue fruit, currant and cassis. Well-integrated toasty oak with floral coffee notes and mocha on the 40-second finish.
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An absolutely delicious, fruit-forward NAPA cab, its complexity obvious at first taste upon the opening of the bottle, its finish long. A powerful amalgam of red and black fruits after an hour's aeration; evolving over during the next three days to a sheer smoothness, with ever so slight a touch of spice, the fruitiness having subsided, but not the complexity. Everything it's touted to be, a sure winner for those who enjoy mammoth California cabs, as I certainly do from time to time.
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Decanted and sat for about an hour before we got into it. Huge CA fruit forward Cab. Very ripe dark fruit, boysenberries, cassis...definitely a very ripe, chewy style. Very smooth tannins, but maybe could have used a bit more for balance. Interesting to have this next to a SQN Syrah...
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wineberg welcoming me to DC (Vidalia, Washington): very much layered and super deep. tons of different berries, raspberries, bluebrries and over ripe blackberries. underlying all that is a layer of sweetness, white chocolate and licorice. very nice
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Schrader wines never disappoint, Absolutely complex with gripping tannins and just a mouthful of great jammy quality wine! I have come to expect this with Schrader wines and this did not let me down at all. Finish was easily over one minute in length. Savored every drop of this wine and just kept getting better and better throughout the evening. Truly a classic wine and glad that I have more to experience this gem again. You know you have a real winner, when everyone else comments that this is some of the best wine they have ever had in their life, High praise for Schrader CCS!!
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Some licorice on nose, very rounded and smooth, tannins well settled, black fruits on palate, medium finish, surprisingly subtle given the huge bombastic rep. Well done.
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LOTS OF DEEP BERRY FRUITS OOZING OUT OF THE GLASS, BLACKBERRIES, CURRENTS, BLACK CHERRIES WITH A TOUCH OF LICORICE. VERY COMPLEX WINE WITH A LONG FINISH.
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Did not take any formal notes as I was out to dinner with friends. What an incredible bottle...these 04 Schraders are drinking very nice right now. Terrific nose and gobs of ripe red fruit with seamless texture and a long, smooth finish. For how good it was, I'd still say it was a slight notch below the 04 Schrader RBS bottling that I had last week. Though it's tough to take anything away from this spectacular wine.
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A very good, but not really exceptional high-end Napa cab. I love the big (and expensive) plush Napa style, and this is a good example. Grape and red fruit notes, but a bit of a burn on the finish. This was my first bottle of Schrader (this stuff is tough to find and expensive!) and I liked it a lot, but I think part of it's mystique might be due to its rarity. I think Caymus is making wines that are just as good and a lot easier to find.
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Red/black/blue fruits smooth and balanced. Even through finish. 4 hour decant but really needed overnight. Cheating alcohol with cool temperature on serving.
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decanted 2 hours prior. outstanding wine, perhaps just a tad less powerfully centered than my last taste. companion drinkers preferred this over the 97 phelps insignia, but merely splitting hairs between 2 terrific wines, with two quite different profiles, e.g. 100% cab v. bordeaux blend. plenty of oak, and not for people who can't (or won't) appreciate that big, bold, napa cabs can't be deliciously tamed by balance and otherworldly fruit.
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not decanted, but you can. quick aside: is this now the best cab producer in napa? TRB is fashioning wines of pleasure, distinction, and even contemplation. this is no bordeaux, and shouldn't make apologies for that. i love the expressive fruit that is certainly bold, but balanced. the only way to answer my question is to sit tight for 10 more vintages. if you have been along for the ride since i have (inception) it's a rags to riches story. the 98-99-00s were...pathetic. really. then, the switch was tripped. why i hung on, i'll never know, but i'm glad i did because this wine, and everything else i have tasted since 01 is spectacular. i like the way this wine is almost restrained. perhaps that is vintage specific. it's not a "wow" wine, just solidly excellent. 24 hours later...rarely do i hold residual wine overnight. vacuvined and refrigerated, brought back to drinking temp. the wine is not oxidized by any means, but it is more grainy in the tannin department, and oddly alcoholic. it tastes pretty good, but remains a shell of it's original performance. this did nothing to change my mind that drinking even huge cabs like this over several days is illusionary, in my humble, but correct, opinion.
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Exhibits young, primary grape aroma and flavors on open. Tastes like a barrel sample. With air, a somewhat intrusive cloud of ethanol is displaced by a fine bouquet of eucalyptus, dried currants and hot roofing tar. Concentrated, yet agile, with a zin-like expression of red raspberries and melted white chocolate. The unctuous finish persists a good 30+ seconds with flavors of red fruit and a spicy, nutmeg cut.
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Brought to CLONYC TRB-athon dinner. Consumed alongside the '04 Schrader Tokalon and '04 Schrader RBS. The Tokalon and CCS were strikingly similar on both the nose and palate, with the Tokalon being a bit sharper and the CCS showing a bit of heat on the finish. Still, these are tremendous efforts and very enjoyable. Will wait a while before opening another.
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Nose was generous, revealing flowers, and dense, rip fruit. Mouthfeel was soft, and tannins were well integrated. This wine had layers of fruit, and wonderful balance and style. Finish was moderately long, and the wine just seems to be nearly flawless. Did drink next to a Quilceda Creek, and the QC might be a tad more complex, but this wine is truly fantastic.
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The nose here is just fantastic, loads of black fruit as to be expected, but some real good creme flavors in the background that fill in the gaps. Not much in the way of oak which is a good thing. On the palate there is some decent complexity, and is drinking well now with a long finish. A little hollow on the mid-palate keeps me from giving this a high 90's score, but real good.
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Classy wine. Had this after 87 insignia and 97 dalla Valle and the freshness of the fruit just overwhelmed me. I can't get over what some of these guys did with the 04 tokalon fruit. The flavors explode from the glass and you almost expect to get bowled over by the tannins and then they soften and become extremely elegant. Just got the 05's and if they are half this good I can't wait.
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Again, a tremendous wine. Dark ruby color. Nose with cassis, mocha, and blackberry. Very impressive on the palate for its balance and complexity. There are layers of dark fruit and silky/firm tannins intertwined magically in perfect harmony. Nothing overwhelms this wine -- it comes together like a beautiful symphony. The body is medium to full and it finishes with a soft but long lasting taste in your mouth that almost brought a tear to my eye when the bottle was empty.
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My notes are gone by this point. I liked this wine. It had a good mouth feel with red fruits on the palate. Similar to the Rivers Marie by the same wine makers but I liked the RM better.
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The Wines of Thomas Rivers Brown (Orange County, CA): A silky and sexy wine! Just glides right across the palate. Notes of cassis, espresso, cigar box, and vanilla. A precocious wine, nuanced and quite distinguished.
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Awesome expresso and cassis liqour notes. The taste has some great fruit of cherry and raspberry with some white chocolate. Good balance, but I'm worried about how it will age.
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A tremendous wine. Filled with dark fruit on the nose. An explosion of fruit on the palate with real depth and complexity. Full bodied and a long finsh. Tannins are firmly integrated. This wine can drink now or cellar for 10 years. Wish I had more then one left.
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9/25/2021 - The Wine Guy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Notes of dark fruit, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, tar, nice soft integrated tannins, long finish, hints of honey butterscotch.
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6/25/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Cristal and Fontodi Flaccianello plus Riverain and Schrader (served blind) (Foretti's in Corona Del Mar): Served blind. Carol Schrader brought this to our dinner, with a smile too as she has a deep connection to the wine. I believe she said this was the first CCS made, and it has some of the Las Piedras blended into it. This was richer styled with good acid and lots of blue fruit (which is what I found as well on the 2014 CCS that was poured blind at an event we did a few weeks ago). It also showed an inky coloring around the inside of the glass and a terrific freshness for a wine that has already pushed past 15 years of age. Thomas sure did make some ageworthy wines in his Schrader craft.
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11/8/2016 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 96 Points
Stable from our first taste 03/02/15. No flaws. Minimal sediment. Minimal rim variation. Classic California cabernet. Low tannin and acid. Medium alcohol and long finish. Ready to drink and plenty of bottle life left.
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6/7/2016 - Mr T wrote:
This wine made the birthday boy very happy but just too ripe and pruney to me with no real shape. Maybe it's just me, but relative to auction value, I should have let others enjoy. That said, the birthday boy loved it.
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6/3/2016 - jeff nowak wrote: 90 Points
Who can tell the difference between this or any other Schrader, short of maybe Old Sparky? I HATE the business plan, as I think I have mentioned in other notes. 04 can be a Napa roller coaster ride. Schrader seems to have done better than most, but it is a vintage that was on the precipice of big ass going to Kardashian mode. An 04 RBS drunk Christmas 2013 was fresher and had more pleasing fruit. There isn't enough acid to get it reliably past age 10. I didn't mind drinking it, but it was lost next to first growth Bordeaux and red label Giacosa. Never send a boy to do a man's job. Drink up. Ha! I just read my earlier notes after posting this. It really validates the slide I experienced. The real power of CT! demonstrated.
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3/24/2016 - KenK Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lovely wine and drinking great. Ripe silky sweet red cherry, strawberries, and raspberry flavors. Nice depth of flavors and framed nicely by well integrated acidity and fine tannins. In its prime, but good life ahead.
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2/15/2016 - T.E.D. wrote: 97 Points
Blackberry juice color, showing density yet not a syrupy glass feel. Intoxicating nose of perhaps one of the most concentrated blackberry, blueberry, kirsch, and black currant straight from the vine picked aroma I have ever experienced, the purity is astounding for a wine with 12 years in the bottle. With airtime slowly revealing secondary hints of marmalade, molasses, following by tertiary elements of forest, shrub and moss. The palate continues along the same vein. However time in glass leads to touches of forest, evergreen, and cedar with some spice. The finish is 90 plus seconds and satisfying. Clearly showing the potential to age another 10, however no need to wait in my opinion.
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3/2/2015 - Mark H. LeQuire wrote: 96 Points
Our first taste. Complex nose. Lots of structure. Great flavors. Low acid and tannin. Medium alcohol and medium finish. Certainly, ready to drink!
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8/2/2014 - Agreenblatt wrote: 95 Points
Drank twice via Coravin. Great both times with Debragga. This is a modern style big cab with lots of berries.
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5/2/2014 - Mscruggs Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine was incredible. We were having a casual dinner party on our second or third bottle of wine with two other couples and the email from Schrader came out announcing Parkers 10 year retrospective and only 100 pointer in the group (not this wine). So we decided to open my last 2004 on a lark. We popped and poured and should have decanted as the last sip was the best. Dark purple in color with a nose of blackberry and dark fruits. Silky and softened tannins with a wonderful mouth feel with creme de cassis on a 45 second finish. We should have decanted for an hour at least but alas it was my last bottle.
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12/31/2013 - clutj Likes this wine: 97 Points
Just great up and down every scale and factor you can reference; last of my three bottles, sadly
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10/11/2013 - clayfu wrote:
Look at me ma I'm drinking cali cab! Another impressive Schrader. Needed about 2 hours in the decanter to integrate the alcohol on the finish, but once it did, it was a very nice drink. It had a weightlessness to it that I was not expecting as it wasn't nearly as big and bold on the initial attack but at the same time had a deep dark core of sweet fruit that lingered on the finish.
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7/13/2013 - MJTed wrote: 97 Points
Catching up on notes from way back. Big, bold and brilliant like every Schrader I've tasted. Pure and thick blue fruit, currant and cassis. Well-integrated toasty oak with floral coffee notes and mocha on the 40-second finish.
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1/10/2013 - Share 67 wrote: 97 Points
Phenominal
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12/27/2012 - isdblm@lsu.edu Likes this wine: 96 Points
An absolutely delicious, fruit-forward NAPA cab, its complexity obvious at first taste upon the opening of the bottle, its finish long. A powerful amalgam of red and black fruits after an hour's aeration; evolving over during the next three days to a sheer smoothness, with ever so slight a touch of spice, the fruitiness having subsided, but not the complexity. Everything it's touted to be, a sure winner for those who enjoy mammoth California cabs, as I certainly do from time to time.
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7/27/2012 - wineberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dinner at Vidalia with PinkMoonWinery (Vidalia in DC): Had at great wine dinner with PinkMoon.
Decanted and sat for about an hour before we got into it. Huge CA fruit forward Cab. Very ripe dark fruit, boysenberries, cassis...definitely a very ripe, chewy style. Very smooth tannins, but maybe could have used a bit more for balance. Interesting to have this next to a SQN Syrah...
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7/27/2012 - G_H Likes this wine: 94 Points
wineberg welcoming me to DC (Vidalia, Washington): very much layered and super deep. tons of different berries, raspberries, bluebrries and over ripe blackberries. underlying all that is a layer of sweetness, white chocolate and licorice. very nice
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4/4/2012 - Bcw1989 wrote: 96 Points
Schrader wines never disappoint, Absolutely complex with gripping tannins and just a mouthful of great jammy quality wine! I have come to expect this with Schrader wines and this did not let me down at all. Finish was easily over one minute in length. Savored every drop of this wine and just kept getting better and better throughout the evening. Truly a classic wine and glad that I have more to experience this gem again. You know you have a real winner, when everyone else comments that this is some of the best wine they have ever had in their life, High praise for Schrader CCS!!
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12/9/2011 - clutj wrote: 97 Points
Some licorice on nose, very rounded and smooth, tannins well settled, black fruits on palate, medium finish, surprisingly subtle given the huge bombastic rep. Well done.
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11/5/2011 - buckeye76 wrote: 97 Points
LOTS OF DEEP BERRY FRUITS OOZING OUT OF THE GLASS, BLACKBERRIES, CURRENTS, BLACK CHERRIES WITH A TOUCH OF LICORICE. VERY COMPLEX WINE WITH A LONG FINISH.
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1/23/2011 - wineguy21 wrote: 97 Points
Did not take any formal notes as I was out to dinner with friends. What an incredible bottle...these 04 Schraders are drinking very nice right now. Terrific nose and gobs of ripe red fruit with seamless texture and a long, smooth finish. For how good it was, I'd still say it was a slight notch below the 04 Schrader RBS bottling that I had last week. Though it's tough to take anything away from this spectacular wine.
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2/19/2010 - ptelgenh wrote: 95 Points
Ripe, big, plush, big fruit, lengthy finish, beautiful nose, spectacular.
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2/13/2010 - jeffm_fla wrote: 93 Points
A very good, but not really exceptional high-end Napa cab. I love the big (and expensive) plush Napa style, and this is a good example. Grape and red fruit notes, but a bit of a burn on the finish. This was my first bottle of Schrader (this stuff is tough to find and expensive!) and I liked it a lot, but I think part of it's mystique might be due to its rarity. I think Caymus is making wines that are just as good and a lot easier to find.
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9/14/2009 - Phin wrote: 96 Points
Red/black/blue fruits smooth and balanced. Even through finish. 4 hour decant but really needed overnight. Cheating alcohol with cool temperature on serving.
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7/11/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 94 Points
decanted 2 hours prior. outstanding wine, perhaps just a tad less powerfully centered than my last taste. companion drinkers preferred this over the 97 phelps insignia, but merely splitting hairs between 2 terrific wines, with two quite different profiles, e.g. 100% cab v. bordeaux blend. plenty of oak, and not for people who can't (or won't) appreciate that big, bold, napa cabs can't be deliciously tamed by balance and otherworldly fruit.
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5/3/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 95 Points
not decanted, but you can. quick aside: is this now the best cab producer in napa? TRB is fashioning wines of pleasure, distinction, and even contemplation. this is no bordeaux, and shouldn't make apologies for that. i love the expressive fruit that is certainly bold, but balanced. the only way to answer my question is to sit tight for 10 more vintages. if you have been along for the ride since i have (inception) it's a rags to riches story. the 98-99-00s were...pathetic. really. then, the switch was tripped. why i hung on, i'll never know, but i'm glad i did because this wine, and everything else i have tasted since 01 is spectacular. i like the way this wine is almost restrained. perhaps that is vintage specific. it's not a "wow" wine, just solidly excellent. 24 hours later...rarely do i hold residual wine overnight. vacuvined and refrigerated, brought back to drinking temp. the wine is not oxidized by any means, but it is more grainy in the tannin department, and oddly alcoholic. it tastes pretty good, but remains a shell of it's original performance. this did nothing to change my mind that drinking even huge cabs like this over several days is illusionary, in my humble, but correct, opinion.
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1/1/2009 - Jody Smith wrote: 94 Points
Exhibits young, primary grape aroma and flavors on open. Tastes like a barrel sample. With air, a somewhat intrusive cloud of ethanol is displaced by a fine bouquet of eucalyptus, dried currants and hot roofing tar. Concentrated, yet agile, with a zin-like expression of red raspberries and melted white chocolate. The unctuous finish persists a good 30+ seconds with flavors of red fruit and a spicy, nutmeg cut.
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9/12/2008 - shapida wrote:
Brought to CLONYC TRB-athon dinner. Consumed alongside the '04 Schrader Tokalon and '04 Schrader RBS. The Tokalon and CCS were strikingly similar on both the nose and palate, with the Tokalon being a bit sharper and the CCS showing a bit of heat on the finish. Still, these are tremendous efforts and very enjoyable. Will wait a while before opening another.
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12/22/2007 - mmyette wrote: 97 Points
Nose was generous, revealing flowers, and dense, rip fruit. Mouthfeel was soft, and tannins were well integrated. This wine had layers of fruit, and wonderful balance and style. Finish was moderately long, and the wine just seems to be nearly flawless. Did drink next to a Quilceda Creek, and the QC might be a tad more complex, but this wine is truly fantastic.
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12/21/2007 - pakabear wrote: 95 Points
The nose here is just fantastic, loads of black fruit as to be expected, but some real good creme flavors in the background that fill in the gaps. Not much in the way of oak which is a good thing. On the palate there is some decent complexity, and is drinking well now with a long finish. A little hollow on the mid-palate keeps me from giving this a high 90's score, but real good.
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11/23/2007 - WineForRob wrote: 95 Points
Classy wine. Had this after 87 insignia and 97 dalla Valle and the freshness of the fruit just overwhelmed me. I can't get over what some of these guys did with the 04 tokalon fruit. The flavors explode from the glass and you almost expect to get bowled over by the tannins and then they soften and become extremely elegant. Just got the 05's and if they are half this good I can't wait.
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8/15/2007 - J-Sho wrote: 97 Points
Again, a tremendous wine. Dark ruby color. Nose with cassis, mocha, and blackberry. Very impressive on the palate for its balance and complexity. There are layers of dark fruit and silky/firm tannins intertwined magically in perfect harmony. Nothing overwhelms this wine -- it comes together like a beautiful symphony. The body is medium to full and it finishes with a soft but long lasting taste in your mouth that almost brought a tear to my eye when the bottle was empty.
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4/21/2007 - Jay Hack wrote: 91 Points
My notes are gone by this point. I liked this wine. It had a good mouth feel with red fruits on the palate. Similar to the Rivers Marie by the same wine makers but I liked the RM better.
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3/24/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 94 Points
The Wines of Thomas Rivers Brown (Orange County, CA): A silky and sexy wine! Just glides right across the palate. Notes of cassis, espresso, cigar box, and vanilla. A precocious wine, nuanced and quite distinguished.
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1/29/2007 - pakabear wrote: 94 Points
Awesome expresso and cassis liqour notes. The taste has some great fruit of cherry and raspberry with some white chocolate. Good balance, but I'm worried about how it will age.
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1/17/2007 - J-Sho wrote: 94 Points
A tremendous wine. Filled with dark fruit on the nose. An explosion of fruit on the palate with real depth and complexity. Full bodied and a long finsh. Tannins are firmly integrated. This wine can drink now or cellar for 10 years. Wish I had more then one left.
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