Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for Mondavi is an expression drawn from multiple AVAs across Napa Valley, incorporating small portions of Merlot and Malbec, with fruit sourced from Carneros up to St Helena. Aged 18 months in 31% new French oak, it is about as classic as it gets from Napa’s iconic flagship estate. Bursting from the glass with black cherry, blackberry, and spiced plum, the wine shows well-integrated new wood cedar and a kiss of vanilla, and is quite enticing. Tobacco spice adds nuance, while the palate delivers bright, energetic juiciness framed by refined tannins. There's a real sense of completeness and generosity, with nothing out of place. Wet slate minerality carries through the finish. Given production hovers around 54,000 cases, this is masterfully crafted – a superb example of a well-built California Cabernet that Napa can proudly distribute to buyers around the world.
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James Suckling
Mondavi's biggest production and most affordable cabernet is extremely well made, powerful but drinkable. Full-bodied and richly flavored, with medium to full tannins, it’s packed with dark cherries, grilled plums, dried blueberries and savory, tobacco-leaf nuances.
One of the most prestigious wines of the world capable of great power and grace, Napa Valley Cabernet is a leading force in the world of fine, famous, collectible red wine. Today the Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon are so intrinsically linked that it is difficult to discuss one without the other. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that this marriage came to light; sudden international recognition rained upon Napa with the victory of the Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1976 Judgement of Paris.
Cabernet Sauvignon undoubtedly dominates Napa Valley today, covering half of the land under vine, commanding the highest prices per ton and earning the most critical acclaim. Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure, acidity, capacity to thrive in multiple environs and ability to express nuances of vintage make it perfect for Napa Valley where incredible soil and geographical diversity are found and the climate is perfect for grape growing. Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that express specific characteristics based on situation, slope and soil—as a perfect example, Rutherford’s famous dust or Stags Leap District's tart cherry flavors.