Winemaker Notes
Deep, opulent black cherry and cassis character. Dark chocolate, sweet anise seed and aromatic bay leaf add complexity to the intense layers of sweet dark fruit. The wine combines power and elegance, with muscular tannins supporting the beautifully articulated Cabernet flavors. We handcrafted the wine in our To Kalon Fermentation Cellar with hand-sorting of the clusters, gravity-flow movement of the must and wine, and fermentation in a traditional oak tank. Aging in new French oak château barrels laced oak spices through the expansive, velvety flavors and lingering finish.
Blend: 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc.
Professional Ratings
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Its deep and beautifully defined aromas of dense, curranty fruit, dusty earth and generous oak signal that something good is to come here, and the broad but classically composed and keenly fruited flavors that follow confirm every hope. Already showing an uncanny impression of layering and range, this outstanding wine is at once supple in feel yet buttressed by lots of very fine-grained tannins, and, although its essential beauty is not in the least compromised by coarseness, it is a bit tough at the finish as young Cabernet can be. Five years will make a real difference here, although ten are preferred, and, from this vantage point, the wine is clearly the best Robert Mondavi Reserve in the last decade or more.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A dense ruby/purple color is followed by a wine exhibiting notes of creme de cassis, subtle and unobtrusive oak, medium to full body, impeccable balance and everything synchronized into a lush, opulent wine that finished with 14.5% alcohol. It is not the most complex Mondavi Reserve, but it is a very satisfying, highbrow wine that offers plenty of pleasure both hedonistically and intellectually. It should drink well for another 15 years, and it may surprise me with more nuances and subtleties than it now suggests
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Wine Enthusiast
Shows all the hallmarks of great Mondavi Reserve. Ageworthy and complex, with enormously ripe, rich fruit, classic chocolate, cassis plus cream and spice from new oak. So smoothly voluptuous now, it goes down like velvet, but the tannin-acid balance will easily hold this wine through 2015.Editors' Choice
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Wine Spectator
Impressive for the harmonious entry, easing into a graceful phase. Supple and complex, with dark berry and anise notes.—Robert Mondavi vertical (December 2015). Drink now through 2023.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.