Winemaker Notes
Aromas of fresh French plum with notes of roasted hazelnut are at the core of the bouquet. On the palate, a medium body and soft textures mingle with delicate and refined flavors of dark red fruits and orchard blossoms to offer a seamless finish to this elegant and opulent wine.
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I was blown away by the 2018 M by Michael Mondavi, an incredible wine based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot. Deep, full-bodied, and opulent, yet with perfect balance and a seamless, layered mouthfeel, it has beautiful darker fruits, notes of leafy herbs and chocolate, perfectly integrated oak, and silky tannins. This majestic, flat-out awesome wine will evolve for 20+ years.
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James Suckling
Classy cabernet characters with red chili pepper, cassis and tobacco with some cocoa powder, incense and fine spices to the ripe plum and blackberries. Refined and precise, with a medium to full body teeming with blackberries. A natural, supple acidity is rounded by plenty of dusty tannins, Shows restraint and elegance in its long, subtle finish.
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Wine Spectator
A ripe, polished style, with currant, plum and blackberry preserves lined with mocha-accented toast, sweet tobacco and melted licorice. Stays reserved in feel overall and relies a bit on the toast, but there's ample fruit in reserve. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2034. 400 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Sweet-seeming oak aromas of vanilla and chocolate lead to broad, generous berries and dark plums on the palate of this full-bodied, softly tannic wine. It's big but gentle, and easy to appreciate.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.