Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Dinner with Friends (R&R's) : Decanted, though I did not catch for how long (though it was a minimum of two hours). Dark youthful color with no bricking. Aromas of black currants, plum, chocolate, bay leaf, olive and tobacco…complex and lovely, with none of the overt brown sugar notes I often find in cabs made by TRB. Full-bodied with medium tannins and flavors of bay leaf, black currants, coffee, plum and herbs. Balanced; lingering finish. 96-97 pts. (R&R)

Absolute complete wine and still in its infancy. Complex nose with layers of notes, graphite, blackberry, boysenberry, cassis, black currant and minerals. Layer upon layer of flavors, deep, rich and showed remarkably light on its feet for its scale. There's a lot of wine here but it never comes across as overbearing. It's hard not to drink this quickly as it is such a delicious wine. Best wine of the year for me. Just stunning! Thanks for sharing Scott B!

Schrader tasting at Tom's house. Old Sparky, Beckenstoffer To-Kalon, CCS, GIII, RBS & T6... All tremendous wines. 98 points for Old Sparky, the others were also amazing and at a minimum 95-98 points.

Layers of blackberry, cassis, vanilla, and spice notes on the nose and layered palate with a killer long finish. Paired beautifully with Gibson's Chicago cut!

Hedonistic stunner. Dark garnet with notes immediately of rich dark fruit, current and dark chocolate. Palate medium to full with silky, beautifully integrated tannins. Lingers forever. Has many years left without signs of secondary characteristics but unless you like more aged wines then no reason to wait.

Zachys Power of Packaging - Jan 2016 (Smith & Wollensky (48th & 3rd Ave)) : Having now spent some time with Old Sparky over the last two days, I'm understanding the obsession. This wine was delicious. Straight up blackberries and black currant and brambles and just beautiful. Very good with the red meat.

Drank over 2 days. Good depth for nose to finish.

Fantastic wine. Amazing concentration of fruit. Big and voluptuous.

Coravin Lesson #1: Do not access a bottle, overpressurizing it in the process, then stand that bottle up at room temp. Fortunately I drank about 60% of this bottle before it turned all porty. And by all porty, I mean ALL PORTY. Like a bad version of a Cabernet Port you probably had from some cheezy winery in a bad wine region. It's such a shame because this was a great wine, but this shows you what improper handling will …

--- COLOR: Opaque garnet with medium-garnet rim NOTE: Just such a lovely specimen that so perfectly captures the essence of Cab Sauv. This is my third glass in as many days thanks to my Coravin. I just can't stop hitting this bottle! This Old Sparky is equally thought-provoking and pleasure-driven. Perfect nose of blackberry liqueur, Saigon cinnamon, leather, beef jerky, black pepper, all drizzled on hot cracked granite. That's always my best definition of a Schrader Cab and it has …

A truly epic Cali Cab, so well balanced and simply delicious. A showy silky red fruit driven wine showing fruit forward cherries, berries, and ripe plum. Creamy rich velvety textured wine with amazing lushness and long rich finish. A very sexy wine and quite tasty, the mag was finished off in what seems like minutes. Keeps you coming back for more and more and more and boom its gone. This is what its all about.

Wine Enjoyed with Food Prepared on the Big Green Egg (Chez Shaffer - Highland Park IL) : This wine is very easy to enjoy. Lots of red and black cherry, some red plum with lots of dark chocolate and cloves. Fruit is clearly ripe but everything comes together for excellent balance, length and persistence. Very large-scaled but everything is in harmony.

Full bodied with red fruit, long lasting on the palate with even tannins