Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a phenomenal red with blue fruit that turns to plums, raw meat, dust and rust. Some dried flowers. Full-bodied, yet very tight and racy with dark-berry, plum and dark-chocolate character. Dried chili pepper, too. Complex and satisfying. Drink after 2022.
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Jeb Dunnuck
There are two releases from the Las Piedras Vineyard just outside of St. Helena, the LPV and the Colesworthy. The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard LPV is a slightly larger production cuvée and has terrific, complex notes of blueberries, bay leaf, blood orange, and liquid violets. I always find a floral note from this vineyard, and it’s certainly present here. Deep, powerful, and opulent on the palate, it has terrific tannins, no hard edges, and a beautiful finish. I love it even today, yet I suspect it will develop even more complexity with 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. Rating: 97+
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Wine Spectator
Saturated plum and blackberry sauce flavors unfurl slowly, with gorgeous mesquite, espresso and licorice accents keeping pace. Shows a smoldering edge on the finish, while well-embedded acidity gives this weighty wine a fresh edge. Best from 2022 through 2038.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Schrader’s “LPV” comes from Beckstoffer’s Las Piedras vineyard, produced from 337 clone grown on the C block. One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, it was aged in 100% new oak for 20 months. Very deep purple-black colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Lpv opens with a profound nose of pure cassis, kirsch, blackberry pie and bay leaves with emerging scents of beef drippings, unsmoked cigars, black tea and forest floor plus an undercurrent of molten chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is charged with red berry accents, framed by a refreshing line of acidity and firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a lively lift. 217 cases were made.
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.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.