2017 T6


The Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard T6 has always been a special wine in our portfolio as it shows the wonderful intense fruit and aromatic spice qualities of clone 6 so beautifully. The 2017 bottling of this wine is balanced and lush with notes of black cherry and raspberry. On the palate the wine has a savory element of dried herbs mixed with black licorice. One of the more structured wines in the Schrader portfolio, the tannins are present but integrated on the long and alluring finish.

  • Vintage 2017
  • Vineyard Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
  • Appellation Oakville, Napa Valley
  • Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Clone Pure Clone 6
  • Cooperage Aged 20 months in rare Darnajou French oak barrels
  • Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown
  • Tasting Notes

    The Schrader T6 has always been a special wine in our portfolio as it shows the wonderful intense fruit and aromatic spice qualities of clone 6 so beautifully. The 2017 bottling of this wine is balanced and lush with notes of black cherry and raspberry. On the palate the wine has a savory element of dried herbs mixed with black licorice. One of the more structured wines in the Schrader portfolio, the tannins are present but integrated on the long and alluring finish.

  • Accolades

    98 Pts. “In the top handful of wines in the vintage, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard T6 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (which was harvested the morning of the fires) that spent 20 months in 92% new French oak. This is a powerhouse of a wine that’s loaded with fruit and richness, yet it still just glides across the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness. Dense purple-hued, with lots of chocolaty black and blue fruits, incense, and spice as well as unsmoked tobacco, give bottles 3-4 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following two decades.”
    — Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

    96 Pts. “Ripe and succulent, featuring silky-edged plum, açaí and raspberry puree flavors, lined with licorice and fruitcake notes. Offers a gorgeously plush feel through the finish, with the fruit soaking up the toast. A late tug of graphite completes the picture. Drink now through 2039. 378 cases made.”
    — James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

  • Vineyard

    First planted in 1868 by viticultural and winemaking icon Hamilton Crabb, To Kalon Vineyard® has long been regarded as the source of Napa Valley’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Within the prime vineyard blocks, an alluvial fan provides excellent and varied mineral deposits, and the rich soils are filled with marine sediment that gives our wines their distinctive profiles. The vines receive full sun and optimal heat during the day and are cooled by marine fog at night. These conditions allow the Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the vineyard to display its own unique character, and this celebration of individuality is the essence of Schrader ®.

  • Vintage

    Spring of 2017 was one of the largest winter rainfall totals we have experienced in recent years. Fortunately, once flowering started, the rains held off and allowed for optimal fruit set and prepared the clusters for even fruit ripening. Veraison finished at the end of August and the vines were positioned for success. Due to a combination of natural phenomena, the yields in 2017 are slightly lower and nearly matched to those that we produced in 2016 and 2015. This lower than average yield allowed for greater concentration on the vine providing the wines with more depth of character and rich complexity.