2016 RBS


With great concentration and beautiful balance, the 2016 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS shows wonderful energy and freshness on the palate. Inviting aromas of crushed blackberry and plum compote are complemented by a touch of spring flowers. Flavors of graphite and blue and black fruits dance along the palate with the integration of wood, tannin, and acidity being seamless. Ever approachable in its youth the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS is a perennial favorite of our team.

  • Vintage 2016
  • Alcohol 14.9%
  • Vineyard Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
  • Appellation Oakville, Napa Valley
  • Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Clone Pure Clone 337
  • Cooperage Aged 20 months in rare Darnajou French oak barrels
  • Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown
  • Tasting Notes

    With great concentration and beautiful balance, the Schrader RBS shows wonderful energy and freshness on the palate. Inviting aromas of crushed blackberry and plum compote are complemented by a touch of spring flowers. Flavors of graphite and blue and black fruits dance along the palate with the integration of wood, tannin, and acidity being seamless. Ever approachable in its youth the Schrader RBS is a perennial favorite of our team.

  • Accolades

    97+ Pts. “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS gives beautiful scents of lilacs and dried lavender over wild blueberries, chocolate-covered cherries, blackberry pie and eucalyptus with a touch of pencil shavings. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a solid frame of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness to lift the densely packed, muscular fruit, finishing very long.”
    — Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate

    97 Pts. “The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard comes from another Beckstoffer-owned vineyard, purchased from Beaulieu in 1993. This larger site is located on the western side of Oakville, with the Beckstoffers owning a key tenderloin section encompassing just over 80 acres. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon offers a sweet bouquet of black cherry cake, incense, crème de cassis, and chocolate. Beautifully concentrated, with terrific tannins and full-bodied richness and depth, it's another 2016 that will benefit from short-term cellaring.”
    — Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

    95 Pts. “Bold...

  • 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

    The 2016 vintage was marked early in the growing season by rains that helped to recharge the suffering aquifers with much needed rain that helped to alleviate the drought. As the growing season began flowering presented itself with a small crop that was helped through the season by near perfect summer weather. These ideal conditions continued through harvest where we were able to pick at optimal concentration. The resulting wines from this vintage have intense concentration with a great natural balance that likens itself to the consistent growing season.