Schrader "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 [1.5 L Magnum]
(Napa Valley, California) - [JD 100] [WA 100] [JS 99] [DM 98] [WS 97]

Notes from the Winemaker:

“We conceived Old Sparky when we decided we needed something really special out of To Kalon. And we're always looking forward towards what that blend is going to be. What's it going to taste like? Because each year, it's completely different.” — Fred Schrader

Blended from the finest barrels of Cabernet in our cellar, Schrader Old Sparky is a wine for the ages. Magnificent and important, it reveals an extraordinarily dense fruit core, especially blackberries and blueberries, layered with gorgeous notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, sweet earth, and cedar. Profoundly rich, the purity and concentration of this wine is legendary. The well-woven tannins provide great texture and natural acidity that perfectly support the broad volume of fruit. The 2018 vintage is extraordinary and will continue to evolve and gain further complexity with time in the cellar.

Ratings & Reviews

100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:

“A selection put together by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Old Sparky is one of the true gems in the vintage, as well as a perfect wine. Thrilling black fruits, crème de cassis, tobacco, tapenade, and iron notes all emerge from the glass, and it's full-bodied and has a similar purity to the CCS release, with ultra-fine tannins and one hell of an incredible finish. Napa Valley Cabernet, or red wine for that matter, doesn't get any better. Give bottles 2-4 years, count yourself lucky, and enjoy over the following two decades or more.”

100 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:

“A best-barrel selection made by Thomas Rivers Brown and bottled in magnums, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is truly great stuff. Full-bodied, rich, velvety and all-enveloping, it delivers near-endless waves of black cherries, red raspberries and complex but gentle spice notes. Long and mouthwatering on the finish, it seamlessly eliminates any gap between power and elegance, leaving scant possible reaction except Wow!”

99 Points - James Suckling:
“Really deep, yet scented, with dark spices, minerals, flower extract, black tea, graphite, pine needle, sandalwood, incense and purple fruit. There is a linear quality to the immaculate tannins, which are dense, but delivered in a melted, chocolatey way, cutting through from the entry to the finish. So svelte and cocoa-powdery in the finish, giving it attractive savoriness. Very ripe and extremely long and precise. Drinkable now, but better after 2025. ”

98 Points - Decanter:
“A barrel selection of the best lots from this Oakville vineyard, only offered in magnum and larger formats. Inspired by Fred Schrader's love of cigars, his wife Carol named the cuveé and also designed the label. A complete wine with loads of saturated black fruits, wild crushed herbs, three-dimensional pixelated tannins, tobacco spices, and a finish that goes for miles. Big, bold, and delicious; a real collector's item.”

97 Points - Wine Spectator:
“Pure, unadulterated cassis and plum puree notes pour through this large-scale but beautifully focused wine, with a twinge of singed apple wood and light anise, loam and sweet bay leaf flirtations through the very lengthy finish. Gorgeous. Best from 2024 through 2040.”