2017 Colesworthy

100 Pts “The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy is a wine that absolutely blew me away, and it's unquestionably one of the legendary wines in the vintage. A barrel selection released only in magnum, this deep purple-hued beauty offers an incredible array of black and blue fruits, smoked tobacco, graphite, and chalky minerality that changes every time you come back to the glass. It's full-bodied, concentrated, and has the vintage s purity and precision, with ripe, ultra-fine tannins and incredible length on the finish. My raw note has more than a few expletives, and this is one of those wines that needs to be tasted to be believed. It might be one of the finest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons I've ever tasted. While it's an incredible tasting experience today, this needs a decade of bottle age and should evolve for 2-3 decades if well stored. Hats off to the sheer genius of winemaker Thomas Brown.” 
— Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

96 Pts “This is in a hyperripe and showy vein, with a gush of plum, cassis, boysenberry puree and melted black licorice notes that sparkle with anise and iris hints through the long finish, which offers a pretty sheen of mocha-accented toast. Shows the structure for form, but this is all about the fruit. Drink now through 2040.”
— James Moleworth, Wine Spectator

99 Pts. “Almost pure perfection in a glass, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard comes from a more rocky vineyard located on the west side of St. Helena. Black fruits, savory herbs, flowers, and crushed rock notes give way to a full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, seamless 2019. It has the ripe yet elegant style of the vintage (as well as the vineyard), ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish.”
— Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

98 Pts. “The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy is a barrel selection. All Clone 337, all new French oak, all Thomas Rivers Brown, it's a full-bodied, concentrated effort, loaded with intense black cherries and cassis and with a subtle touch of cigar wrapper for savory complexity. It's tannic, but those tannins are ripe and silky-dusty in texture, lingering for what seems like minutes on the long, mouthwatering finish.”
— Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate

98 Pts. “Deep, yet perfumed on the nose, with a fine touch of lard, graphite and lavender that follows through to a full-bodied palate with a tart black-cherry quality to the mid-palate. Immaculate tannins here and extremely long. Drink after 2025.”
—James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 

95 Pts. “Delivers inviting warm cassis and crushed plum notes, while subtle lilac and violet accents flitter in the background. Shows subtle alder smoke, savory and mineral accents that enhance the fruit through the lengthy finish. A confidently suave Cabernet. Best from 2023 through 2037.”
—James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 

98 Pts. “A tour de force from this team, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy is a barrel selection from this site and I believe it’s brought up all in new Darnajou barrels. It’s a quintessential 2018 with its more reserved, elegant, yet incredibly concentrated style, and like its sibling, it has a beautiful, savory style that includes a wealth of red and black fruits as well as espresso, tobacco leaf, cedar pencil, and dried flowers. It’s actually more reserved and backward than the straight single vineyard release and is full-bodied and flawlessly balanced, with massive tannins, integrated acidity, and a great, great finish. Like a lot of top 2018s from Napa, there’s a more Bordeaux’esque quality to this wine. The tannins are firm and present, there’s plenty of edge and cut, and it delivers a beautiful sense of weightlessness on the palate. Forget bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following 25-30 years.”
— Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

98 Pts. “This is fabulous on the nose with raspberries, blackberries, flowers and crushed stones. Violets, too. Full-bodied with fine, creamy tannins that are so polished and beautiful. It goes on for minutes with a tile, berry and floral aftertaste. Drink after 2022.”— James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

97 Pts. “Schrader’s “Colesworthy” comes from Beckstoffer’s Las Piedras vineyard, produced from 337 clone grown on the C block. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged in 100% new Darnajou and Taransaud French oak barrels for 18 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it is youthfully mute to begin, needing some swirling before it explodes with exuberant black cherries, cassis, blackberry pie with sautéed herbs scents, plus a hint of fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of freshly crushed red and black fruit flavors, delivering wonderful vibrancy and finishing long and lively. Bottled in magnums, 118 nine-liter cases were made.”— Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate

95 Pts. “A rich and showy version, with really seductive plum sauce, steeped blackberry and warmed cassis notes all working in unison, draping wonderfully over a buried loamy spine. Echoes of smoldering tobacco and melted licorice linger at the very end. Accessible now, as this is primarily fruit-driven. Drink now through 2035.”— James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

100 Pts. “A barrel selection released only in magnum, similar to the Old Sparky release, yet only from the Las Piedras Vineyard, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Colesworthy Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is another perfect wine from this team, and it's one of those wine where I wish I could pour ever reader a taste. Offering up thrillingly pure notes of crème de cassis, perfectly ripe blueberries, chocolate, and a crazy, liquid rock-like minerality, it hits the palate with a full-bodied, powerful style that carries tons of richness and depth, yet still just glides over the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It’s certainly one of the greatest Napa Cabernet Sauvignons I’ve ever tasted. As with the base Las Piedras Vineyard, do your best to hold off for a few years.”
— Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

97 Pts. “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy opens with ripe, rich, bold crème de cassis, preserved plums and baked blueberries scents with hints of cumin seeds, star anise, mincemeat pie, mocha and new leather with wafts of tobacco, cedar and black tea. The full-bodied palate is very firm and muscular with bags of black fruits and spices, finishing very long.”
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate

94 Pts. “A ripe, showy style, with warm waves of cassis, plum sauce and raspberry pâte de fruit taking center stage, laced with singed apple wood, sweet tobacco and anise notes. The finish delivers a bold kick of energetic fruit and a creamy dollop of toast. Best from 2020 through 2034. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 129 cases made.”
— James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

100 Pts. “Lastly, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy is a barrel selection from the Las Piedras Vineyard in St. Helena. It takes the classic LPV release and ratchets up the intensity without any additional sense of weight or heaviness. With incredible cassis, liquid violets, white flowers, and a distinct earthy, loamy minerality, this beauty has insane purity of fruit, a huge, layered, full-bodied style on the palate, sweet tannin, and a blockbuster finish. Don't miss it!”
— Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com

98 Pts. “There is brightness and intensity on the nose and palate with fantastic depth of blue fruits such as blueberries and blackberries. Oyster shell, too. Full-bodied, layered and beautiful. So much intensity and focus. High fidelity character.”
— James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

97 Pts. “Coming from the Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, block C that is planted to clone 337, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy has a very deep purple-black color and incredibly primary nose of blackcurrant cordial, blueberry pie and preserved plums with wafts of licorice, charcoal, mulberries and baking spices plus a hint of red roses. Medium to full-bodied, very firm and very finely crafted, the palate features wonderfully ripe tannins and great freshness, harnessing the bold, primary flavors and restraining the very long, very youthful finish. 128 cases produced.”
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate

93 Pts. “Creamy, vanilla-infused oak joins rich dark berry, dark chocolate, spicy cedar and melted licorice flavors before a dash of crushed rock folds in. Long and lingering, young and energetic. Best from 2021 through 2033.”
— James Laube, Wine Spectator

100 Pts. “This is phenomenal with blackberries and blueberries, not to mention quite incredible stones and black tea. What a nose. Full-bodied and so tight and dense — yet agile and austere with so much going on. Fantastic balance. One of the best Schraders ever made. Better in four or five years, yet wonderful now.”
— James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

94 Pts. “Slightly less impressive, but still a brilliant wine, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Colesworthy comes across as more backward and closed with a Graves-like minerality. This also hails from the Las Piedras Vineyard and was aged 20 months in 100% new Darnajou. This was the most reserved of all of the 2014s from Schrader, will probably benefit from several years of bottle age, and keep for 15 or more years.”
— Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

94 Pts. “Slow to unfold, but does so in an impressive manner, gradually building intensity and depth around a core of gravel-laced dark berry, herb, licorice and spicy oak notes. Best from 2021 through 2036. 117 cases made.”
— James Laube, Wine Spectator

98+ Pts. “Close to perfection is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy, which is clone 337. This is aged in 100% new Darnajou and soaks up the new oak beautifully. Notes of lead pencil shavings, forest floor, vanilla, blackberry and cassis jump from the glass of this opaque purple, full-bodied, magnificent Cabernet Sauvignon, which is super-rich, fabulously pure and just a killer wine on the palate.”
— Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

98 Pts. “The magnum-only wine shows the best of Las Piedras. So much iodine, blackberry, black currant, licorice, stone and lavender character. Seamless and ultra-fine. A wine with a great future. Better in 2022 but fascinating to tasting.”
— James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com

96 Pts. “Combines power and concentration with finesse and nuance, showing extracted blackberry, licorice, graphite, crushed rock and savory herb notes. Finishes with a powerful aftertaste that reverberates with flavor. The spicy, toasty oak adds texture and nuance. Best from 2020 through 2035.”
— James Laube, Wine Spectator

95 Pts. “A selection of the best barrels of this wine, representing only 110 cases or basically 41/2 barrels, is the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Colesworthy. This is largely Clone 337, aged 20 months in 100% new Darnajou. This is deep, rich, full, backward and not quite as easy to access as its sibling, although at some point the Schraders and Thomas Brown thought these were the best barrels from Las Piedras. It seems to share much of its siblings opaque purple color, lots of coffee, blackberry and cassis fruit, charcoal and graphite, but seems to also require more bottle age to round into shape. Forget it for 3-4 years and drink it over the following 20-25 years.”
— Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

94 Pts. “Notably elegant, with complex aromas of rich dark berry, shaded by dusty dried herb and cedar notes, all supported by firm, finegrained tannins. Gains depth and persistence, gliding along on the finish.”
— James Laube, Wine Spectator