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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.5 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 120 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by jusuf on 4/13/2024 & rated 98 points: This is Cab at its best. Californian power with bordelais elegance. Dominant Cassis nose with fragrance tones. Sandalwood. A bit mocha. Palate straight into a massive body with constant changing impressions. Spices, fruit, minerals and again fragrance. Cassis all over anyway. Very long finish. (677 views) | | | Tasted by DominikMueller on 3/2/2024 & rated 95 points: Robert Mondavi Winery Masterclass Tasting (Hattenheim, Germany): From magnum. Deep purple, still a vital colour. A rather sparse fruit. Rather, I find vanilla, earthy notes, leather, sultanas, dried plum, tobacco. Very soft in the mouth, yet an intense flavour with a full body. Cool blueberry, lots of dried fruit. Long lasting finish. Presents itself beautifully today, but certainly has many more years ahead of it! A silky yet powerful Cabernet. Great wine, although not quite with the finesse of a classic Bordeaux. Rather Californian joie de vivre. [First published on DMueller.com.] (868 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 12/26/2023 & rated 94 points: This actually performed best 24 hours after opening...Rich and smoot, with the flavors of currant and cherry being released from firm tannins with the long airing out. Touch of woody herb provides balance. (1103 views) | | | Tasted by JasonWino on 11/24/2023 & rated 93 points: Its signature To Kalon… but not as refined as it could/should be. Good bottle for the vintage but I probably wouldn’t seek out another. (1227 views) | | | Tasted by Swajln on 9/1/2023 & rated 96 points: This is at a different level! (1623 views) | | | Tasted by SMHalps on 2/7/2023 & rated 95 points: To Kalon and Dr. Crane Night (Charlie Palmer Steak NYC): Decanted for over 45 minutes before pouring. This started slow, as it tasted a little flat, compared to the other To Kalon we had alongside it. But the longer it sat in the glass (and the decanter) the better it got. By mid meal, this was tasting great. Complex, well structured, maybe not as full bodied as the rest of the wines we had, it was instead, elegant. (2464 views) | | | Tasted by Canoehead on 6/25/2022 & rated 91 points: Tasted alongside a 2013 version. Decanted for >1hr. Unlike the ‘13, this was ready to please in the first glass. Macerated black cherry and fig on the nose. Good medium plus body carrying a depth of savoury fruit on the nose. This is drinking well now and on its own. Had with striploin & mushrooms. Thanks DV for sharing. (3380 views) | | | Tasted by Dunn cellar 1000 ft on 6/20/2022: Smooth (2876 views) | | | Tasted by DrBad on 5/14/2022 & rated 95 points: Drinking great with a 1-2 hour decant. Violet and stewed plum aromas. Leather, tobacco, dark chocolate, black raspberries and blueberries on the palate. Mouth coating tannins and a long finish. (3125 views) | | | Tasted by shellylowen on 2/22/2022 & rated 94 points: Great nose, mouth coating gnarly tannins, very long finish, blackberries. (3066 views) | | | Tasted by Pajaro282 on 2/20/2022 & rated 93 points: Smooth, full and flavorful. An absolute delight. Opened bottle in the morning to drink that evening with dinner. Perfect! (2457 views) | | | Tasted by jroberts86 on 10/4/2021 & rated 89 points: A good wine but nothing to rave about. Decanted and left open, but it stayed one dimensional. Ok nose, ok fruit, ok finish. 89 pts (2821 views) | | | Tasted by jfolbe on 9/22/2021 & rated 94 points: Great legs, needs 3 hour decant, or wait another 3 years in the cellar. Fantastic knows and delicious. Not a pop and pour. (2727 views) | | | Tasted by jamokebob on 7/10/2021 & rated 95 points: Very smooth with great legs. Finish is fantastic (2901 views) | | | Tasted by Levinsb on 5/24/2021: Oh boy how to rate this. Wish I tasted it blind, without either good or bad expectations. Suffice to say it is everything you expect. There are better Cabernets for much less money, and yet this is consistently enjoyable. Add steak. (2991 views) | | | Tasted by gteran76 on 4/24/2021 & rated 91 points: I regret opening this bottle today. After one hour double decanted still unidirectional and lacking personality. The body is medium plus, the finish is fair, almost long, and you can enjoy this without getting into the waoo factor this wine is capable amd should take you.
92+. Hold. The elements are there to be great in 2-5 years from today... (3021 views) | | | Tasted by greedy on 2/7/2021: Wasn’t digging it tonight. Harsh finish. Not been my experience with this wine in the past. Maybe going through dumb phase. (2986 views) | | | Tasted by michigan dogs on 1/8/2021 & rated 91 points: I gave it 90pts in April, I'll be kinder this time with a 91, but nothing special considering To kalon grapes and price. Better choices (3053 views) | | | Tasted by Mdb1982 on 10/16/2020 & rated 93 points: From the Robert Mondavi Website
Tasting Notes
A powerful wine, our 2012 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has rich, spicy blackberry and blueberry fruit, cinnamon, sage, coriander and tobacco flavors. While muscular, the wine is elegantly structured with fresh acidity, fine tannins and a richly dense mouthfeel.
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petite Verdot
Vineyard Notes
This is our second vintage of our To Kalon Vineyard-designated Reserve. When Robert Mondavi chose the To Kalon Vineyard, in west Oakville, as the home for his new winery in 1966 he remarked that, "It was a vineyard with a distinguished history and a magical nature. Ideal soils, sunlight, and rain—to my eye, the vineyard was a treasure." Those sentiments were re-confirmed when the To Kalon Vineyard was named the Vineyard of the Year by the California State Farm Bureau in 2011. Our Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is blended from the finest blocks within To Kalon. Following two cooler and wetter growing seasons, the 2012 vintage was "a walk in the park", says Vineyard Manager, Matt Ashby. A dry winter led to well-timed rain in March which saturated the soils and helped fill the reservoirs. The region's combination of warm days and cool nights endured through the growing season creating the perfect recipe for long, flavor-building hang time and optimal sugar to acid balance. Our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for this wine were harvested between September 27th and October 26th.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes were hand-harvested with three stages of strict sorting: first, on the vine, then by individual clusters, and then again by single berry following de-stemming. The selected grapes went directly into traditional French oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation and extended maceration – a total of 35 days of wine to skin contact – maximizing the extraction of varietal character and complexity while keeping the tannins round and supple. The new wine was drained and gently pressed into 100% new French-oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, assuring seamless integration of fruit and oak. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over twenty months of barrel aging. The wine was bottled in August of 2014. (3086 views) | | | Tasted by FoinZap on 6/1/2020 & rated 93 points: Didn't take detailed notes. Nice, robust, complex, fruit-forward Cab. Red fruit with a range of interesting secondary flavors (e.g. coffee, chocolate, graphite). Rock solid. (3600 views) | | | Tasted by DragonChowhound on 5/25/2020 & rated 88 points: This was my first experience with To-Kalon, and this bottle simply did not match the expected profile. This came across as an above average Napa Cab, but did not knock me off my feet, especially for the price. (3410 views) | | | Tasted by michigan dogs on 4/12/2020 & rated 90 points: Nice wine, good acidity, but I was disappointed given the location and price, not worth $120+. (3244 views) | | | Tasted by greedy on 2/23/2020 & rated 95 points: Fantastic. Not as good as beringer pr but really good. Long smooth finish which can only be Napa. Fruit and acidity built to cellar for 20 years. People consume Napa cabs way too early. Especially the high end one like this. Won’t touch the rest of my stash for at least 5 years. (3400 views) | | | Tasted by espesq on 11/28/2019 & rated 90 points: It's okay. Black cherry, a touch of oak flows into leather, tobacco, some graphite at the finish. (2448 views) | | | Tasted by jusuf on 11/15/2019 & rated 96 points: Massive Cabernet. 100% Power. Lacks a bit of definition but compensates with body. Long lasting on palate. Cassis forever. (982 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Napa Valley's 2021s and 2022s - Part 1 (12/26/2023)
(Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve To Kalon Vineyard) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (10/5/2017)
(Robert Mondavi To Kalon, Oakville, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (5/16/2017)
(Robert Mondavi Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (5/16/2017)
(Robert Mondavi To Kalon, Oakville, Napa Valley red) Subscribe to see review text. | The World of Fine Wine, September 2016, Issue #53
(Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, Vertical Tastings of Mondavi’s Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and I Block To Kalon Vineyard Fumé Blanc (May 2016) (5/1/2016)
(Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Elaine Chukan Brown
JancisRobinson.com (4/25/2016)
(Robert Mondavi, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, New Releases from Napa Valley: 2012 and 2013 (Dec 2014) (9/1/2014)
(Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve To Kalon Vineyard Oakville) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/4/2013)
(Robert Mondavi, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By William Kelley
Decanter
(Robert Mondavi, To Kalon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Californian Cabernet 2012
(Robert Mondavi, To Kalon Vineyard Reserve, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JebDunnuck.com and WineAlign and The World of Fine Wine and Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and Decanter. (manage subscription channels) |
| Robert Mondavi Winery Producer website
Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonReserve The Wine News | Wine Country This Week | Wine Lover's PageUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Oakville |
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