Winemaker Notes
The To Kalon Cellar brings to life my vision of a winemaking facility equal to the superior quality of the grapes from our historic To Kalon Vineyard. The Cellar's gentle gravity-flow design includes 56 French oak fermentation tanks. The return to oak fermentation enhances the aromas, flavors and complexity into our finest Cabernets, and imparts both immediate approachability and incredible aging potential.
As always, the fruit for this Cabernet Reserve comes from our finest vineyards, including over 50% from our To Kalon Vineyard and a total of 84% from the Oakville appellation. These vineyards consistently produce the most expressive and complex wines; it's no coincidence that they hold some of Napa Valley's oldest vines, which produce powerful, concentrated fruit.
This year also marks my father's 90th birthday, which gives us even more reason to celebrate and raise a glass with you. May this wine bring grace to your table and zest to your life.
Very sincerely,
Tim Mondavi
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Showing impressive strength and finesse, this is an iron fist in a velvet glove, supple and harmonious, gaining on the finish where licorice and charcoal accents extend the flavors.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There are 18,000-20,000 cases of the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, one of the finest efforts from this difficult vintage. The wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Merlot and Malbec. It exhibits a deep purple color as well as an elegant, sweet perfume of black currants intertwined with licorice, loamy soil, and hints of mints as well as new oak. It is ripe, long, and structured, with medium to full body, outstanding purity and concentration, and a persistent finish. This elegant Cabernet will be at its finest between 2006-2020.
Rating: 90-92 -
Wine Enthusiast
Oak dominates in the wine’s youth, with scents of wood and smoky earth. In the mouth, rich and dense. The tannins are thick, but soft and melted. Acidity kicks in on the finish. Structurally superb, but curiously lean and herbal in flavor, as thought it were deliberately picked early. No doubt meant for the cellar.
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.