2018 Schrader Cellars 2013 Schrader Cellars - Angry Wine Merchant
2018 Schrader Cellars
2013 Schrader Cellars - Angry Wine Merchant

2018 Schrader Cellars

'Old Sparky'

Cabernet Sauvignon

America / California / Napa Valley / Rutherford

$1,850
JD 100
RP 100
Size:
Quantity:

2018 Schrader Cellars 'Old Sparky' Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA.

Our 2018 Beckstoffer To Kalon Old Sparky 1.5L will be shipped in a Schrader Cellars wooden box.

“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

VINTAGE
2018
ALCOHOL
14.5%
VINEYARD
Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
APPELLATION
Oakville, Napa Valley
VARIETAL
Cabernet Sauvignon
CLONE
Clones 4, 6, and 337
COOPERAGE
Aged 20 months in rare Darnajou French oak barrels
WINEMAKER
Thomas Rivers Brown


Tasting Notes
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.

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
After a wet and cool winter, both bud break and flowering got off to a later-than-normal start. Summer brought nice, even temperatures with very few heat spikes, resulting in great phenolic development in the grapes and even ripening across all our vineyard sites. Due to the lower-than-normal summer temperatures, the grapes enjoyed long, steady ripening. This allowed for wonderful sugar development while maintaining structure. Once in barrel, the wines showed prodigious depth and incredible character that wonderfully displayed the benefits of slow, even ripening. A winemaker’s dream, the 2018 vintage has produced wines that will provide exceptional pleasure upon release and age gracefully in your cellar.

JD 100

Jeb Dunnuck

There are few vintages of Old Sparky that don't merit a perfect rating, and the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Old Sparky isn't one of them. This flawless wine offers up a wild smorgasbord of aromas and flavors, with loads of crème de cassis, blueberries, scorched earth, lead pencil, violets, blood orange, tobacco, and flowery incense all developing with time in the glass. Deep purple-hued and incredibly full-bodied, it has ripe, silky tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that won't quit. This magical wine stays weightless and elegant on the palate, never seeming heavy, cumbersome, or over the top, and it's a wine that just begs to be drunk yet will evolve for decades. Hats off to winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown for yet another heavenly Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that could come from nowhere else in the world. Life is too short not to have experienced this cuvée! Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck, Issue date: January, 2021. Drinking window: 2021 - 2041.
RP 100

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Produced predominately from clone 4, as always, the “Old Sparky” label is a best barrel selection from Beckstoffer's To Kalon vineyard in Oakville. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard was aged in 100% new Darnajou and Taransaud French oak barrels for 18 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little coaxing to begin to reveal fragrant notions of crushed black currants, mulberries, juicy red and black plums and lilacs with hints of dark chocolate, rose oil and tilled soil plus a waft of unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is rich yet not at all heavy, featuring loads of bright red fruit accents among the profound black berry and savory elements. Multilayered, shimmering with energy and beautifully perfumed, it has gorgeous, ripe, plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing very long and mineral laced. Bottled in magnums, 418 nine-liter cases were made.Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Issue date: January, 2021. Drinking window: 2025 - 2057.

For INTERNATIONAL shipping, click HERE.

We ship within the United States to:

AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, and WY.

FREE SHIPPING INSURANCE: We provide FREE carrier insurance for lost or damaged shipments (per carrier terms and conditions.)

FREE WINE STORAGE: We provide FREE 6 Months wine cellar storage from date of purchase. Please choose this option at checkout and we will coordinate shipping for a later date.

SHIPPING: During warm summer weather, we recommend to only ship within the United States with Same Day or Next Day Air service to protect the wines from environmental damage. If you would like to waive this protection by shipping Ground, we will request a waiver be signed.

PACKAGING: Our premium wines need optimal temperature consistency, therefore are packaged in EPS foam shippers with gel pack (when needed) and shipped only during ideal weather temperatures.

For OWC (Original Wooden Case) orders, wine bottles will be removed from case and shipped inside a foam shipper box for safety (unless otherwise requested). The wooden case will be shipped separately at Ground service. If faster service is necessary please contact us.

WEATHER HOLD: In adverse temperature conditions, we reserve the right to withhold shipment until ideal temperatures return unless we receive explicit instructions via email to release the wines, voiding any guarantee. We will contact you if a hold is necessary.

FULFILLMENT: Shipments are via UPS.

  • Orders received Monday - Thursday before 2:00 p.m. will typically ship the same day.
  • Orders received Thursday 2:00 p.m. ~ Sunday will ship on Monday.

DELIVERY:

  • Same Day service within Los Angeles Metro area may be available if order is placed before noon, but not guaranteed. Please contact us directly at (626)714-7006 to facilitate expedited service.
  • During extreme temperatures, all shipments are recommended for Next Day Air.

Adult Signature: By law, all shipments of alcohol must be received and authorized by an adult. Our delivery carriers will not release packages without an adult signature and additional charges may be incurred if the package requires withholding or redirection.

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We ship within the United States to: Alabama (AL), Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), Arkansas (AR), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Delaware (DE), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Kentucky (KY), Louisiana (LA), Maine (ME), Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Mississippi (MS), Missouri (MO), Montana (MT), Nebraska (NE), Nevada (NV), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New Mexico (NM), New York (NY), North Carolina (NC), Ohio (OH), Oklahoma (OK), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), South Dakota (SD), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Vermont (VT), Virginia (VA), Washington (WA), West Virginia (WV), Wisconsin (WI), and Wyoming (WY).

  • CRITICAL REVIEWS
  • WINEMAKER NOTES
JD 100

Jeb Dunnuck

There are few vintages of Old Sparky that don't merit a perfect rating, and the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Old Sparky isn't one of them. This flawless wine offers up a wild smorgasbord of aromas and flavors, with loads of crème de cassis, blueberries, scorched earth, lead pencil, violets, blood orange, tobacco, and flowery incense all developing with time in the glass. Deep purple-hued and incredibly full-bodied, it has ripe, silky tannins, perfect balance, and a finish that won't quit. This magical wine stays weightless and elegant on the palate, never seeming heavy, cumbersome, or over the top, and it's a wine that just begs to be drunk yet will evolve for decades. Hats off to winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown for yet another heavenly Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that could come from nowhere else in the world. Life is too short not to have experienced this cuvée! Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck, Issue date: January, 2021. Drinking window: 2021 - 2041.
RP 100

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Produced predominately from clone 4, as always, the “Old Sparky” label is a best barrel selection from Beckstoffer's To Kalon vineyard in Oakville. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard was aged in 100% new Darnajou and Taransaud French oak barrels for 18 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a little coaxing to begin to reveal fragrant notions of crushed black currants, mulberries, juicy red and black plums and lilacs with hints of dark chocolate, rose oil and tilled soil plus a waft of unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is rich yet not at all heavy, featuring loads of bright red fruit accents among the profound black berry and savory elements. Multilayered, shimmering with energy and beautifully perfumed, it has gorgeous, ripe, plush tannins and a lively backbone, finishing very long and mineral laced. Bottled in magnums, 418 nine-liter cases were made.Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Issue date: January, 2021. Drinking window: 2025 - 2057.

2018 Schrader Cellars 'Old Sparky' Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA.

Our 2018 Beckstoffer To Kalon Old Sparky 1.5L will be shipped in a Schrader Cellars wooden box.

“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

VINTAGE
2018
ALCOHOL
14.5%
VINEYARD
Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
APPELLATION
Oakville, Napa Valley
VARIETAL
Cabernet Sauvignon
CLONE
Clones 4, 6, and 337
COOPERAGE
Aged 20 months in rare Darnajou French oak barrels
WINEMAKER
Thomas Rivers Brown


Tasting Notes
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.

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
After a wet and cool winter, both bud break and flowering got off to a later-than-normal start. Summer brought nice, even temperatures with very few heat spikes, resulting in great phenolic development in the grapes and even ripening across all our vineyard sites. Due to the lower-than-normal summer temperatures, the grapes enjoyed long, steady ripening. This allowed for wonderful sugar development while maintaining structure. Once in barrel, the wines showed prodigious depth and incredible character that wonderfully displayed the benefits of slow, even ripening. A winemaker’s dream, the 2018 vintage has produced wines that will provide exceptional pleasure upon release and age gracefully in your cellar.

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