Schrader Wappo Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 750ml

Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, Napa Valley, California 

Notes from the Winemaker

Wappo Hill Vineyard, in the Stags Leap District, was first planted in 1969. Produced from 100% Clone 685 Cabernet Sauvignon, this bottling is sourced from hillside vines planted on well-drained, gravelly, and clay loam soils. The vines thrive with ample afternoon sun bookended by cool mornings and evenings and produce intensely flavored fruit with exceptionally balanced acidity. The wine features notes of blackberry, red cherry, and briary aromas that combine with pleasing threads of baking spice, floral petal, and dusty earth tones. This stunning wine shows the tremendous power of a classic Napa Valley Cabernet with a polished, long-lasting finish.

Vineyard

Wappo Hill Vineyard, in the Stags Leap District, was first planted in 1969. Produced from 100% Clone 685 Cabernet Sauvignon, this bottling is sourced from hillside vines planted on well-drained, gravelly, and clay-loam soils. The vines thrive with ample afternoon sun bookended by cool mornings and evenings and produce intensely flavored fruit with exceptionally balanced acidity. The wine features notes of blackberry, red cherry, and briary aromas that combine with pleasing threads of baking spice, floral petal, and dusty earth tones. This stunning wine shows the tremendous power of a classic Napa Valley Cabernet with a polished, long-lasting finish.

Reviews and Accolades

97+ Points/Jeb Dunnuck
A release that was first produced in 2019, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Wappo Hill Vineyard comes from a site in the Stags Leap District and is all Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in mostly new French oak. Red and black currants, iron, white flowers, candle wax, and spicy notes all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated yet vibrant, fresh, focused 2021 that has plenty of ripe tannins, a great mid-palate, and one incredible finish. It's going to age beautifully. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more.

97 Points/Wine Spectator
This captures the essence of the vintage wonderfully, with vivid notes of violet, anise and iris leading the way for ripe, succulent blackberry, boysenberry and mulberry paste flavors. Offers a flattering melted licorice snap accent along the edges, while the finish packs in brambly energy at its core. This is going to unfurl wonderfully in the cellar. Drink now through 2042.

95 Points/The Wine Advocate
Just Schrader's second vintage of this wine (there was no 2020 produced), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Wappo Hill comes across as a bit tarry, backed by black olives and black cherries. It's full-bodied, silky and almost plush yet retains a savory edge on the vibrant, lingering finish. All clone 685 and matured in a mix of new Taransaud and Darnajou barrels.