2019 Schrader Mondavi Heritage Clone

Another relatively new addition to the Schrader lineup, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mondavi Heritage Clone To Kalon Vineyard is all Clone 31 (not Clone 39, as previously reported by RPWA). It's expressive and aromatic on the nose, offering up hints of tobacco, mint and sage, plus floral, spicy notes but also plenty of red berries and vanilla (it's aged 18 months in new French oak). Full-bodied, tannic and firmly built, it's another Schrader wine that should really benefit from cellaring.

My notes on the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Heritage Clone started with a big "Wow," and it's clearly a structured, serious, incredibly impressive 2019. Giving up plenty of cassis and assorted black and blue fruits, it has a distinct sense of minerality as well as classic Cabernet tobacco, lead pencil, and tobacco leaf nuances. With bright acidity, building tannins, and a concentrated, massive, backward mouthfeel, it needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years and should have decades of prime drinking.

Another new release (it was first released in 2018), the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone comes from a single block of clone 39 in the To Kalon Vineyard on the west side of Oakville. This is another magical wine, and it may be the best here. Incredible blue fruits, white flowers, unsmoked tobacco, and a touch of minerality all define the nose, and this beauty is pure To Kalon goodness on the palate, with the rich, massive, yet elegant mouthfeel that this site seems to deliver with ease. It’s one of the more powerful, opulent wines in the lineup.