Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon Monastery Block To Kalon Vineyard Oakville 2023

Schrader Monastery Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, from a single block of the To Kalon Vineyard.

The Monastery Block sits at the western edge of the historic To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, in the foothills beside the Carmelite monastery that gives it its name. Schrader's 2023 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from clones 685, 31 and 169, made by Thomas Rivers Brown and aged 20 months in new French oak from Darnajou and Taransaud. 2023 brought one of Napa's longest growing seasons in more than a decade, with mild, steady temperatures and extended hang time that let the fruit ripen slowly and evenly. Jeb Dunnuck (98+ points) calls it "rich, powerful, dense, and concentrated, with a fleshy mid-palate," noting red and black currant, graphite, crushed stone and a Graves-like scorched earth character. James Suckling also gave it 98 points. Dunnuck recommends four to five years of bottle age and a drinking window of 2029 through 2049. 15.5% ABV, 750ml.