Winemaker Notes
Schrader Beckstoffer To Kalon RBS is produced from 100% Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from blocks of the vineyard that receive full sun and optimal heat during the day and are cooled by marine fog at night. Unfailingly red-fruited and plush yet balanced with savory notes of roasted coffee and supple silky tannins. The most generous wine in our portfolio, RBS tends to be more approachable upon release than their other bottlings.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
So packed and dense with blackberry, black currant and boysenberry compote flavors that this seems like a black hole, but there's coiled energy buried deeply within, in the form of tensile graphite girders. In the meantime, exotic accents of violet, anise and iris dart out from the core as this opens in the glass, adding remarkable range. This impressive, large-scale wine offers a sense of guile and mystery when all is said and done.
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Decanter
Schrader Cellars' 2021 RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from select blocks planted in the mid-1990s to Cabernet Clone 337. This savoury-scented red shows a super-dark ruby core, with wafts of black-toned fruits nuanced by black liquorice, dried purple florals and rich, dark, toasty cedarwood spices. Full-bodied, it has an almost towering structure and dimension to the tannins, which present like sleek skyscrapers and build in intensity. The black fruit character is compact with excellent depth and concentration, and a firm spine of acidity delivers a refreshing, long and mineral-scented finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming all from Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS is an incredibly seamless, full-bodied beauty that has a terrific sense of minerality in its red, blue, and black fruits as well as hints of espresso and spicy oak. It's flawlessly balanced, has no hard edges, and a rare mix of power and elegance.
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James Suckling
Rich, deep and saturated, practically oozing black fruit and notes of red cherries that bring a good touch of acidity. A lavish texture and mouth-coating tannins bring an almost thick but soothing mouth-feel. Dark cherries, blackcurrants, blueberries and dark chocolate. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All clone 337, selected from a few vineyard blocks and aged in 100% new Taransaud and Darnajou barrels, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard shows a bit more structure than previous vintages, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins. Cherries, mint and gentle sage notes show up on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is a bit stern but balanced, with a long, cooling finish.
Rating: 94+
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.