Schrader Aston Estate Pinot Noir Clone 777 2006
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Wine Spectator
Pleasantly earthy, with dried currant, blueberry and wild berry flavors that are subtle and marked by tar, sage and light herbal scents. Complex and persistent on the finish.
Fred Schrader founded Schrader Cellars in 1998 with a goal of making the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon possible. Since then, the brand has gained renown for incredible vineyard sourcing and remarkably gifted winemaker, Thomas Brown. Since its inception, Schrader has achieved a total of twenty-seven 100-point scores from the likes of The Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Jeb Dunnuck, and James Suckling.
For more than a decade Schrader Cellars has produced benchmark Cabernet Sauvignon from the most prestigious vineyards in the Napa Valley — notably the first-growth Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, along with Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard in Rutherford, Beckstoffer Las Piedras in Northwest St. Helena, and newly the Monastery Block To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. Thomas Brown, a South Carolina native, didn’t grow up in the wine business, but after extensively exploring the wine regions of France, Italy, and Northern California, he knew where he belonged. In 1996, Thomas moved to Napa Valley and began working in a wine shop. Wanting to cut his teeth in winemaking, he began working in acclaimed cellars with industry legends. In 2000, destiny circled around and Thomas met Fred Schrader at the same fine wine shop. Although Thomas had yet to make a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, Fred recognized his unwavering passion, fantastic natural ability, and dedication to winemaking, and hired him to do just that for his namesake brand, Schrader. Since then, the duo has developed a portfolio of benchmark Cabernet Sauvignons renowned for their “no holds barred” character. Thomas has achieved unprecedented success in record time and has revealed himself to be a true visionary of wine.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.