A bottle of 2012 schrader Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS on a grey background

2012 RBS

The pure essence of Napa Valley Cabernet, the 2012 Schrader RBS explodes with lush aromatics of ultra-ripe red fruit, most notably raspberry, plum, and freshly picked cherries. The signature of this marque is its unique ability to combine ripe fruit with interesting notes of graphite and minerality. The perfect balance of the grapes at harvest are reflected in the supple and silky mouth feel that bestows the wine with exceptional finesse. With its well-woven tannins and firm structure, the Schrader RBS beautifully balances youthful accessibility with the potential for graceful aging.

  • Vintage 2012
  • 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

    The pure essence of Napa Valley Cabernet, the 2012 Schrader RBS explodes with lush aromatics of ultra-ripe red fruit, most notably raspberry, plum, and freshly picked cherries. The signature of this marque is its unique ability to combine ripe fruit with interesting notes of graphite and minerality. The perfect balance of the grapes at harvest are reflected in the supple and silky mouth feel that bestows the wine with exceptional finesse. With its well-woven tannins and firm structure, the Schrader RBS beautifully balances youthful accessibility with the potential for graceful aging.

  • Accolades

    98 Pts. "The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS, which is also from Clone 337 but from different blocks on the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, saw oak with 90% new Darnajou and 10% new Taransaud. This wine seems slightly more expansive, shares the black ruby/purple color with all of it siblings, and has a boatload of crème de cassis, incense, licorice, graphite and vanilla along with plenty of spice box and forest floor. This is a killer, full-bodied, super-duper, opulent Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 20 years." — Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

    92 Pts. "Taut, detailed and tightly wound, with a firm band of cedar, herb, green olive and gravelly earth, accented by dark berry and cedary oak. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink now through 2026." — James Laube, 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

    In the words of Henry Hartman, "success always comes when preparation meets opportunity." With more than a decade of experience in the vineyard we definitely had the preparation part down, however we were happily surprised by the unlimited opportunity given to us by Mother Nature in 2012. The growing conditions were beyond fabulous, provding the double benefit of phenomenal quality as well as grand abundance, a winemaker's dream. Serendipitous and trouble-free, the pristine conditions of the season delivered a harvest with both marvelous quality and ample quantity, an ideal combination.

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