Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the 2015s, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard is a thick, unctuous, huge beauty that gives up a deep purple color as well as lots of blueberry, violets, and incense. It’s deep, full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and has silky tannin, which is the hallmark of the 2015s from Schrader. It’s capable of lasting for 20-25 years or more.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All of the 2015s will be reviewed from bottle next year, but basically the yields were not off as much at Schrader as some other estates, the alcohol levels were relatively modest ranging between 14.3% and 14.5%. Characteristic of this vintage, there is magnificent fat, sucrosity and thickness on display in all of these wines. They are inky black/purple and seemingly low in acidity, but according to Thomas Rivers Brown the acids were quite sound and healthy. The tannins are present, but so well-disguised by the high levels of glycerin and sucrosity that they are not that noticeable. Several of these wines, including the Schrader, CCS, T6 and LPV have the potential for perfect scores. These will be thrilling to taste next year and will continue the incredible legacy that Schrader Cellars has developed over the years.
Range:95-97
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.