Colesworthy Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - Schrader (magnum, .1.5 L)

Colesworthy Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 — Schrader Cellars

This Colesworthy Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 from Schrader Cellars, offered here in magnum 1.5 L, is a rare cuvée from the famous Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard in St. Helena. Made from a very limited selection of barrel lots, it expresses a powerful, luxurious and deeply mineral Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: ripe blackberry, black cherry, black fruits, vanilla, pencil shavings, crushed stone, forest floor, spice, graphite and a long, dense and persistent finish.

The Colesworthy cuvée pays tribute to Carol Colesworthy Schrader and represents, according to Schrader, one of the highest expressions of the Las Piedras vineyard. Like the Old Sparky programme, it is assembled from a few remarkable barrel lots. The 2015 belongs to a highly concentrated Napa Valley vintage, giving a wine that is rich, intense and opulent, yet structured by the stony minerality of the site and the precision of Cabernet Sauvignon clone 337.

Terroir: Beckstoffer Las Piedras, ancient stones and the power of St. Helena

Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is located in St. Helena, at the heart of Napa Valley. Its name, “Las Piedras”, refers to the strong presence of stones in the soil. The vineyard is renowned for its very stony, well-draining and poor soils, which naturally limit vine vigour and promote grape concentration. Cabernet Sauvignon here gives dark, dense and spicy wines, strongly marked by a sensation of stone, graphite and minerality.

At Schrader, Colesworthy comes from Cabernet Sauvignon clone 337 and is made from the finest lots of the vineyard. Ageing in new French oak brings richness, vanilla, texture and depth, while the terroir preserves a highly recognisable signature: blackberry, black cherry, black fruits, crushed stone, pencil shavings, forest floor, graphite and mineral freshness on the finish.

Tasting notes

Appearance: deep purple with garnet and black reflections, dense, opaque and bright. In magnum, the colour should preserve its intensity, youthfulness and dark brilliance for a long time, with slower evolution than in a standard bottle.

Nose: opulent, intense and highly expressive, with ripe blackberry, black cherry, black fruits, candied fruits, vanilla, pencil shavings, crushed stone and forest floor. With aeration, nuances of graphite, cocoa, mocha, sweet spices, cedar, blond tobacco, liquorice and warm earth may appear.

Palate: full, rich, velvety and highly concentrated, with a broad entry of ultra-ripe fruit, cherry, blackberry and black fruits. The substance is powerful yet polished, supported by dense tannins, luxurious oak ageing and stony minerality that gives the wine poise. The finish is long, deep and persistent, on blackberry, vanilla, pencil shavings, graphite, crushed stone and spice.

Expression of the 2015 vintage

The 2015 vintage in Napa Valley produced Cabernets that are often very concentrated, powerful and expressive, with ripe fruit and imposing structure. In Colesworthy, this richness translates into prodigious aromatics, with abundant blackberry, black fruits, vanilla and stony notes. The minerality of Las Piedras and the rigorous selection of lots preserve a sense of precision within the power.

Today, this Colesworthy 2015 in magnum remains a wine of great presence, still capable of slow evolution. It can be enjoyed after careful aeration, but the large format allows it to gain further complexity: cedar, tobacco, fine leather, cocoa, graphite, forest floor, melted spices and mineral notes should gradually join the depth of the black fruit.