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Schrader Cellars is one of the most awarded wineries in the history of American wine. The Schrader name is synonymous with outstanding, high-scoring Napa Valley Cabernet that is very limited and very expensive. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown has made so many 100-point and near-perfect wines, we've lost count. 

This wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in 100% new and incredibly rare Darnajou Barrels, and all the fruit is sourced from one of Napa's most iconic vineyards, Beckstoffer To Kalon. Schrader is putting everything they have into this very small production Cabernet. 

There is not much to be said about Schrader that hasn't already made headlines. Fred Schrader, an art and antiquity trader, attended the Napa Valley wine auction in the late '90s. He fell in love with Napa and then met Andy Beckstoffer and Thomas Rivers Brown. From that time, they sourced outstanding fruit from the To Kalon vineyard and set the wine world ablaze with some of the most sought-after, collectible, and delicious Napa Valley Cabernets ever created.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Schrader Cellars' To Kalon Vineyard bottlings are crafted exclusively from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the esteemed Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, Napa Valley. This vineyard is renowned for its deep, well-drained loam and gravel soils, ideal for cultivating Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines exhibit a full-bodied profile with concentrated black and purple fruit flavors, harmoniously balanced by elegant floral and spice notes, fresh acidity, and firm, ripe tannins.

Very structured and on-point, this full-bodied and powerful wine is drenched in ripe black fruit, chocolate, and oak spice flavors. With muscular tannins and great balance, it’s definitely built for further aging. So firm, wound up tightly in texture yet generous in tobacco leaf, graphite, baking spice and espresso flavors. Best from 2030. ~97 James Suckling 

Cassis, spring flowers, toasted spices, and pressed flower notes all emerge from this 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard, a quintessential To Kalon that's full-bodied, deep, layered, and seamless on the palate. It's not the densest or most structured in the lineup, yet the texture, balance, and just utter charm are incredible. ~96-98 Jeb Dunnuck

Underscoring the high quality of the 2023 vintage for Schrader, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard is a terrific wine. Blended from several parcels of the famous vineyard, it boasts textbook aromas of dried herbs and spices, black cherries and loamy earth. Full-bodied, with a texture somewhere between silky and velvety, it's also tannic and firm, with a hint of Mexican chocolate on the long finish.

Schrader followers will know that 2021 marked the last vintage of sourcing from Beckstoffer's Heritage Vineyards. These 2022 and 2023 wines come exclusively from Mondavi-owned sites. Mondavi's vineyard manager, Blake Wood, formerly worked on the Beckstoffer team at To Kalon, and Thomas Rivers Brown remains as the winemaker, so quality remains high, even if it may take a few vintages to relearn which bottlings are your personal favorites. The 2023s are a step up in quality from the 2022s, but if you are already on the mailing list, you will likely have to buy the 2022s to maintain your spot. Don't worry—the 2022s are still excellent, even if they don't flirt with perfection the way the 2023s do. ~95-97 Wine Advocate

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