Winemaker Notes
Blend: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is dense and layered with a beautiful and poised combination of tannin and fruit. Full-bodied and reserved with blueberry, currant and light plum. Some chocolate undertones, too. Needs a couple of years to come completely together. 55% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot, 7% petit verdot, 5% cabernet franc and 2% malbec. Drink after 2022 and onwards.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Robert Mondavi Winery Maestro Red deftly blends Bordeaux grape varieties into a lovely, cohesive wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits an alluring aroma and tight-knit flavors of dried herbs, cinnamon, and mineral. Enjoy it with oven-baked short ribs. (Tasted: February 15, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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.