Schrader Cellars Napa Valley California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

Everything about Schrader Cellars, Napa Valley California Cabernet Sauvignon wine producer profile, wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, history of the property, information on their wine making techniques, terroir and soil. You can also read about the Grapes used for California wine and learn about the extensive History of Napa Valley, California Wines

Schrader Cellars History, Overview

Schrader Cellars, like many of the world’s best wineries grew from a passion for wine. Fred Schrader, the wineries founder came to the conclusion that he wanted to make wine in 1988 when attending the famous Napa Valley Wine Auction. In a few short years, Fred Schrader founded his first winery with Ann Colgin, Colgin Schrader Cellars which made their debut wine in 1992.  Colgin and Schrader dissolved their partnership and marriage. Ann Colgin retained Colgin Cellars and Fred Schrader founded Schrader Cellars in 1998 and hired Thomas Rivers Brown as his winemaker and consultant.

In June, 2017, Schrader Cellars was sold to Constellation Brands for a whopping $60 million Dollars! This record setting price is even more incredible when you consider Schrader Cellars does not own vineyards, just contracts to purchase grapes! While it is expected thatvThomas Rivers Brown will continue as their consultant and winemaker, it is hoped that the high level of quality wine produced here will continue.

Schrader Cellars focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon, producing several unique wines. With the assistance of Thomas Rivers Brown, Schrader Cellars uses some of the best fruit from the famed Beckstoffer Vineyards, primarily from the famous To Kalon vineyard.

It can prove to be difficult to follow some of the various releases of Schrader Cellars as they are numerous. The purpose of these wines is that they are focusing on different clones designed to show how different clones perform within a single vineyard parcel. Schrader Cellars also produces wine with fruit from single blocks in various vineyards.

Schrader Cellars Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

Aside from Schrader Cellars Beckstoffer To Kaylon, Schrader Cellars also uses fruit from the George III vineyards located in Rutherford, Dr. Crane and Las Piedras. Las Piedras produces 2 wines, LPV Beckstoffer which comes from clone 337 and the stunning, Colesworthy Las Piedras which comes from clone 337 and is aged in 100% new, French oak barrels from Darnajou. RBS Beckstoffer is produced from clone 337. Schrader Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard T6 earns its name because it uses the T6 clone.

Schrader CCS Beckstoffer To Kaylon comes from specific blocks of the vineyard that uses clone 4 Clone 6 and 337. The name CCS comes from Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Old Sparky, which is the nickname friends have given Fred Schrader, which he proudly calls his top wine is produced from clone 6 and clone 337. Schrader Vineyards Old Sparky is aged in 100% new, French oak barrels for an average of 20 months before bottling. Schrader Cellars Old Sparky is only produced in magnum. Very little of most of these wines is produced. Production averages between about 100 cases on the low end to about 650 cases per year for the larger production wines from Schrader Cellars.

In 2012, Schrader added a Chardonnay wine to their ever expanding portfolio of wine. Boar’s View Chardonnay is made in a partnership with Thomas Rivers Brown. The vineyard for Boar’s View is located almost adjacent to the same vineyards Marcassin uses for their grapes to produce their wine. Very little Chardonnay is produced. In fact, only 50 cases a year are available at this point. This Sonoma Coast project also makes Pinot Noir from old clones taken from Calera, Mt. Eden, and Joseph Swan. Fortunately, there is an abundant amount Pinot Noir, as close to 1,000 cases are produced each year.

The style of Schrader Cellars wine is big, bold, ripe, fruit forward and plush, with rich, silky textures. However, what really sets the wine of Schrader Cellars apart from the majority of wineries in Napa Valley is the incredible purity of fruit, opulent textures, concentration and balance. The wines are ripe and high in alcohol, yet there is no sensation of heat or over ripeness in the wines. They are powerful, yet elegant and graceful. While Schrader Cellar wines will easily age for 15-20 years, they can also be enjoyed in their exuberant, fruit forward youth.

While much of the production of Schrader Cellars is sold via a mailing list to customers, a portion of their portfolio is also sold at auctions by the owner. This practice was met with mixed reviews from consumers who initially saw this is an additional way to increase the price and profits of the winery. However, as time wore on, the practice became accepted. It’s also important to note that today, even with the numerous 100 Pt ratings from Robert Parker, for those lucky enough to be on the popular mailing list of Schrader Cellars, they sell their wine for well below the aftermarket price, giving consumers the rare combination of value, coupled with extremely high quality, stylish wines from the Napa Valley.

Serving and Decanting Schrader Cellars with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Schrader Cellars wines are best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages of their red wine can be decanted for 1-3 hours, depending on the character of the vintage. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

The red wine of Schrader is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, ribs, hamburgers, barbecue, roasted, braised, grilled dishes and stews. Schrader is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms and pasta.

The white wine of Schrader is best served with all types of seafood and shellfish, sushi, sashimi, chicken, veal, pork and cheese.

www.schradercellars.com