2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone To Kalon Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Schrader’s Heritage Clone bottling is a spotlight on Clone 31, the clone first planted by Robert Mondavi in To Kalon, and one that produces particularly small berries and clusters, and therefore an especially intense style of Cabernet Sauvignon. In this nascent stage, the nose isn’t revealing much – but the palate speaks volumes. It’s the brightest and most vibrant of the 2021 line-up, combining brooding intensity with an almost tart red-berry freshness. Gradually it reveals more layers of perfume, but the backbone of the wine is a mineral, graphite line that gives poise – a point around which the fruit can dance. Impressive.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Mondavi Heritage Clone To Kalon Vineyard comes from a single block of vines planted to what has become known as clone 31. If there is any complaint here, it's that the vibrant raspberry and mixed cherries are just too pure. Yes, the fruit is awesome (hence my enthusiastic rating), but the non-fruit complexities seem limited to modest dried-spice nuances. Perhaps more will emerge over time. Medium to full-bodied, this is exceptionally silky and elegant in the context of the 2021 vintage, finishing fresh and lively on the finish.
All Clone 39 Cabernet Sauvignon and also a release that was first released in 2019, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Heritage Clone offers up a dark, concentrated, powerful, structured style that's loaded with ripe black fruits, graphite, iron, and hints of scorched earth. It's incredibly complete and balanced on the palate, with full-bodied richness, lots of building tannins yet fine tannins, rocking mid-palate depth, and a great, great finish. Give it 3-5 years if you can and it will evolve for over two decades.
About the producer
Schrader Cellars is one of Napa’s cult names. It focuses on pairing specific clones with the perfect site to produce the ultimate expression of Napa Cabernet. The results regularly receive the very highest scores from critics, with 19 100-point scores from the Wine Advocate to date.