Wines

PLEASE BE AWARE, THIS IS A PRE-ARRIVAL WINE - YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED SHIPPING FEES UNTIL THE WINE(S) ARRIVE

97 Points! I believe that the 2005 DP is the best since 2002, which remains the best recent vintage and is probably only eclipsed by the amazing 100-point 1996. The 2005 is a full-bodied DP with so much richness and loads of ripe fruit such as pineapple and papaya. It has a wonderful, creamy texture and a long and intense finish. It’s a Champagne that fully satisfies but at the same time challenges you with its strength, depth and persistence on the palate. - JamesSuckling.com

100 Points! The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon CCS (14.6% alcohol and 175 cases) is absolutely out of this world. I have given more perfect scores to this cuvée than any of the other Schrader wines. Made from Clone 4 with slight additions of Clone 6 and 337, it is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, like all these wines from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. This wine has a glorious nose of licorice, cedar wood, vanillin, creme de cassis, blackberry and graphite. Super-rich and velvety, with sweet, supple tannins, an opulent full-bodied mouthfeel, and a skyscraper-like finish, this prodigious wine is drinking beautifully, and just now coming into its adolescence. It should go on for another 20-25 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2015

97 Points! The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon T6 is 100% Clone 6, came in at 14.7% alcohol, and was aged in 100% new Darnajou barrels. It reveals a different character, with notes of charcoal and espresso roast, white chocolate, new saddle leather and a meaty, dense, full-bodied mouthfeel. This is spectacular and terrific stuff. After the RBS, this is probably the most evolved of these five cuvées, although I kept going back to the CCS, which has a hauntingly perfect bouquet. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2015

94 Points! The 2005 The Tempest (52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 18% Petit Verdot) offers attractive aromas of blueberry jam, cassis, and a creamy, espresso/chocolatey character. This opulent, round, hedonistic, voluptuously-textured, super-pure 2005 will provide pleasure over the next 12-15 years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

95 Points! From a renowned vineyard site, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon boasts a deep ruby/purple color in addition to a fragrant bouquet of sweet blackberries, cherries, roasted herbs, espresso, cedar, and chocolate. Full in the mouth, with impressive stuffing, a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, an inkiness to the fruit, fabulously sweet tannin, and a 50-second finish, this stunning Cabernet should drink nicely for two decades or more. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

94 Points! A seamless beauty, the dense ruby/purple-colored 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, from a St.-Helena site, reveals notes of black currants, sweet cherries, cedar, and roasted herbs. Balanced and full-bodied with exceptional density, high glycerin, sweet tannin, and a long finish, it should easily last for 15 or more years. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Galitzine Vineyard comes from the fifth leaf of this estate vineyard and in this vintage contains 4.5% Merlot. The wine was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque purple-colored, its distinctive aromatics leap from the glass. Toasty oak, scorched earth, a hint of truffle, black cherry, black raspberry, and blackberry liqueur aromas are quite mesmerizing. On the palate, this sizable effort is firm, full-bodied, and structured, demanding 6-8 years of cellaring. It falls a bit short of the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of complexity but bear in mind that this is still a very young vineyard. It should be hitting its stride by 2015 and remain at that level through 2035. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

95 Points! As usual, La Gomerie’s 2005 is a sexy, dense plum/purple-tinged effort. From a 7-acre, 32-year old site planted with 100% Merlot, it exhibits a sumptuous bouquet of white chocolate, roasted coffee, blackberries, black cherries, graphite, and toasty oak. This is a modern-styled, decadently rich St.-Emilion, but because of the vintage’s higher acidity and more tannic structure, this offering possesses a more classic framework than usual. A sensational wine, it should be drinkable in 3-4 years, and age beautifully for 15-20. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com

98 Points! The 2005 Syrah The Skull comes from a different section of the Royal Slope. If it is possible, the wine is a bit more structured and powerful. It needs 8-10 years of cellaring and will be at its best from 2017 to 2035.

Charles Smith, the mastermind of K Vintners, bottles his very best wines from the obscure Royal Slope under a separate label. These are stunning Syrahs that must be tasted to be believed. They are technically within the massive Columbia Valley AVA but Smith feels the Royal Slope (or Royal Slut as he refers to it) should be recognized in its own right For a fascinating demonstration of terroir, do a side-by-side tasting of the 2005 K Vintner and Charles Smith Syrahs but bring a lot of ribs and pulled pork barbecue and turn it into a party. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

99 Points! The 2005 Syrah Old Bones is a blend of The Heart and The Skull but aged in 500-liter barrels. It is more complex, opulent, and totally hedonistic. It will be at its best from 2017 to 2035.

Charles Smith, the mastermind of K Vintners, bottles his very best wines from the obscure Royal Slope under a separate label. These are stunning Syrahs that must be tasted to be believed. They are technically within the massive Columbia Valley AVA but Smith feels the Royal Slope (or Royal Slut as he refers to it) should be recognized in its own right For a fascinating demonstration of terroir, do a side-by-side tasting of the 2005 K Vintner and Charles Smith Syrahs but bring a lot of ribs and pulled pork barbecue and turn it into a party. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

97 Points! The 2005 Heart Syrah is whole berry fermented with aging for 24 months in seasoned French barrels. All of Smith’s wines are fermented with native yeasts and bottled without fining or filtration. It gives off a room-filling bouquet of cedar, leather, mineral, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Opulent, powerful, and layered on the palate, it conceals enough structure to see the wine through another 6-8 years of evolution. It will be at its best from 2015 to 2030. - Jay Miller, robertparker.com

98+ Points! This estate is a tiny micro-treasure in St.-Emilion. Owned by Michel Gracia and consisting of less than five acres of vines, it turned out a final blend in 2005 of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, but only 5,000 bottles were produced. A wine pushing for perfection, notes of blueberry and blackberry dominate, but also underlying the fruit is a strong core of minerality and flowers. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated, and absolutely pure, this is a tour de force and a prodigious effort in this great, long-lived, slow-evolving vintage. Forget it or another 5-10 years and drink it over the following 40 or more. - Robert Parker, robertparker.com, 2-015

Simply put, one of Burgundy's greatest vineyards in one of its greatest vintages, direct from the cellars of Louis Remy. This wine is absolutely killer right now but another decade in the cellar will barely phase it. Incredible value at this level of quality from this prestigious site...a must-buy...