Hour one begins! With a DEEEP lead off, solo home run shot from none other than…

Schrader!!! Or as my cousin in Boston says “SchraDAHHH”

Yes, that Schrader, with the $300-400+ wines and the countless 95-100 point scores. One of the best “second” wines around from any Napa Valley Cult source. Period.

A couple of months ago we featured this beauty and you’ve been begging for more

Then came this Wine Spectator Schrader highlight.

They were echoing JD’s 94 points, adding that “When Constellation Brands, the major drinks industry company, bought Schrader Cellars in 2017, the market murmured over another small, elite Napa Cabernet brand gobbled up by a corporate portfolio. But the wines, made by acclaimed winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, haven’t missed a beat… There’s even a value play here, amid the triple-digit price tags. Schrader’s Double Diamond bottling is made predominantly from To Kalon fruit…”

We were SHOCKED to get a tiny bit more to set a glorious day like today off with. So, yea. Just keep that in mind.

This comes from the Oakville cult wine powerhouse that received 100-point scores from Wine Advocate across three consecutive vintages under the direction THE Thomas Rivers Brown! Double Diamond is their entry-level offering here, but it’s anything but entry-level in the grand scheme of things. It serves up that same plump, pure, downright seductive charisma you’d expect from arguably one of the world’s finest Cabernet producers.

Did we say it’s mostly from THE Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard?!

Dark as a tar pit in the glass, it sucks you in like one too. As Jeb says it has “incredibly sexy style” as it could not have been said better. Black currants, black cherry reduction, blackberry with nutmeg, vanilla crème, and some wild spicy mesquite type notes come bubbling to the surface too. There’s something truly unique and different about this wine. Hard to pin down exactly, but it’s unlike anything you have tasted and will leave an indelible memory.

Our final allocation was ultra-limited as before, so please move quickly.

94 Points – Wine Spectator

“Packs in generous steeped plum, boysenberry and mulberry flavors backed by a broad swath of roasted alder and bittersweet cocoa. Brimming with dense fruit, and is squarely in the not-shy style. The long finish has a serious loamy tug, too. Best from 2023 through 2035.”

94 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“In addition to the single vineyard releases, this estate also releases a more value-priced Cabernet. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Double Diamond (which is still 70% To Kalon) offers a forward, medium to full-bodied, incredibly sexy style as well as classy notes of cassis, tobacco, incense, orange blossom, and flowers. Readers looking for a touch of that Schrader magic at a slightly more affordable price are going to love this beauty. It’s already drinking nicely, and I see no need to delay gratification.”