2005 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (10) Avg Score: 95.7 points

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  2/16/2019 - Mscruggs Likes this wine: 98 Points

  Decanted for about 4 hours before a wine tasting/dinner party. Voted the showcase of the dinner by most present. Dark in color, dark fruit, cocoa, licorice, slight eucalyptus with well integrated tannin and layers of complexity with a long finish.

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  10/27/2018 - Plasmatini Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Amazing wine. Nothing to dislike, everything to like. Opened days ago, but sampled, sealed, and refrigerated. Once it warmed up it was spectacular. One of our best wines ever.

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  10/19/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

  Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): I wasn't totally sure how the Old Sparky was going to show next to the other two, but in this case it does seem like the blend is not a bad way to go. The fruit comes across as a bit brighter. There's still some pepper, but it's not quite as intense as with the RBS. Maybe some tobacco now. A bit more of a blend of flavors which makes the wine more interesting and multi-dimensional. Also very young with lots of life left.

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  2/23/2017 - Haystack Likes this wine: 96 Points

  I chased after the glorious '07 Old Sparky with this bottle and was disappointed, like listening to mid-range Haydn after Mozart. I prefer the 2005 Shafer Hillside Select and 2005 Quilceda Creek to this, in part due to the slightly excessive fruit. I say slightly because the '05 CCS was raisinated. Maintain lesser expectations and you should love it.
  
  Edit: I had a second bottle of this from another source and, frankly, the first one suffered some mishap (the raisinated '05 CCS was from the same source). I am changing my review to 96. It's delicious. It is not a killer $1200 bottle however. Save your $$ for the 2007 IMO.

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  12/23/2016 - Bcw1989 wrote: 97 Points

  This is an iron fist in a velvet glove type of wine! Classic Schrader and clearly the WOTN! Big dark inky look to this wine. Lots of dark red fruits, plus cassis and notes of cedar. This is drinking really well at this time. Finish was a whopping minute and a half in length. Tannins are suppressed and beginning to integrate into the wine. Truly a special wine made by a special winery. Lots of aging potential. Really impressive!

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View all 10 Community Tasting Notes

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