2012 Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Original To Kalon Vineyard
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Tasting notes
A barrel selection of Schrader’s finest lots and bottled only in magnum, this is a massive wine, bursting with smoky blackberry, cassis, incense and creamy baking spices. Textural breadth and suppleness betray To Kalon’s inimitable signature.
Critic scores
Average Score
Decanter
James Laube, Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
Sleek, refined and elegant, showing rich layers of spicy oak, blackberry and wild berry, with cedar and herb nuances. Ends with a long, full finish that gains depth and detail, firming nicely on the finish.
Nearly as prodigious is the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer to Kalon Vineyard, which is Clone 4 and Clone 6 blended together from the Beckstoffer to Kalon Vineyard, this is the highest in alcohol of the 2012s at 14.6%. It was aged in a combination of 50% new Darnajou and 50% new Taransaud barrels. This wine is one of the tighter, more backward of the 2012s, with more structure, tannin, muscle, a masculine personality, oodles of black and blue fruits and a massive mouthfeel, but is somehow much more primary and younger tasting than the other wines.
About the producer
Schrader Cellars is one of Napa’s cult names. It focuses on pairing specific clones with the perfect site to produce the ultimate expression of Napa Cabernet. The results regularly receive the very highest scores from critics, with 19 100-point scores from the Wine Advocate to date.