Winemaker Notes
The immense 2019 Schrader LPV offers a heady wallop of wild blueberries, blackberries, and cassis fruit character with captivating notes of mesquite, espresso, rich chocolate, black tea, tobacco, graphite, and forest floor. Complex and complete, the wine is full-bodied with generous, plush fruit flavors that continue to expand on the palate and carry on at full force to the indulgently long, expressive finish. Grown on the gentle slopes of West St. Helena, the vines endure the added stress of the rocky soils to produce wines of exceptional concentration and formidable structure.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Almost pure perfection in a glass, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard comes from a more rocky vineyard located on the west side of St. Helena. Black fruits, savory herbs, flowers, and crushed rock notes give way to a full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, seamless 2019. It has the ripe yet elegant style of the vintage (as well as the vineyard), ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From the vineyard's rocky C Block, planted to Clone 337, Schrader's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard LPV boasts soaring perfumes of roses and violets alongside red and yellow cherries. The 100% new Darnajou and Taransaud oak has been completely absorbed into the wine. Full-bodied but firm, silky yet structured, this wine reveals incredible poise and balance, showing admirable power yet lingering elegantly on the long finish.
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James Suckling
Lots of ripe fruit and flowers on the nose, together with iron and lead pencil. Full-bodied. Layered tannins with lots of crushed stone and ripe, flavorful fruit at the end. \
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Wine Spectator
Delivers warm steeped black currant and blackberry compote flavors that are broad and deep as they roll through, laced with licorice root, singed alder and warm paving stone notes. A subtle cast iron accent peeks in at the very end, adding a lingering echo of terroir without obstructing the fruit.
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.