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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.7 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 104 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by BradE on 2/18/2024: This was in perfect shape and drank well. (385 views) | | | Tasted by G_H on 2/2/2024 & rated 96 points: A 1974 Napa Retrospective (Zunfthaus zur Waag Zürich): While the regular mondavi was showing well right out of the bottle, this needed 10 minutes or so in the glass to come to life. Red berries, some dried herbs, black tea, eucalyptus and mint. Love this style! (470 views) | | | Tasted by NYC_Maenad on 7/16/2023: This bottle had been standing up for several weeks, but the decision to drink was last minute, so just decanted off sediment and consumed over a couple of hours. Far less eucalyptus than our last bottle a year ago, which for me is a good thing, still plenty of mature black fruit, crushed leaves, and sun warmed leather. The texture was slightly dusty, despite being perfectly clean of all sediment - just a function of age, not preparation. Perhaps a little more mature than ideal, but still showing lots of energy and with a fully intact frame. We've had a lot of these other the years, and, while they are not as strong as a few years ago, it's a testament to the golden age of California wine that these are still so beautiful at nearly 50. (1408 views) | | | Tasted by vindictive on 3/26/2023: Still going strong Needs a few hours decanting Beautiful California wine from the golden age (1286 views) | | | Tasted by hahaha123 on 1/28/2023: Amazing 48 years wine! (1505 views) | | | Tasted by WoodieBayArea on 8/13/2022 & rated 93 points: great -- as always -- but beat out by the 1978 version the night before... it was a hard compare as the '78 was one of the best ever (1951 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 1/8/2022 flawed bottle: From a nice looking bottle with a VTS fill, this wine had light orange rims and a red center. It had dropped an unusually large amount of sediment suggesting it was advanced. The medium+ intensity nose was rather overripe and slightly oxidized for the first hour or so. It put forth fig, over-ripe blackberry, cherries, and soil. Unfortunately, the oxidized character did not disappear.
In the mouth, this wine was over-ripe at first but developed a strong spine behind the slightly over the edge fruit. It came around into a better balance after 2+ hours. However, the fruit was a bit sloppy and the alcohol was not fully integrated.
While drinkable, this bottle was quite advanced and certainly not going to be getting better. My guess is that it was keep in a warm room that didn't cause it to leak but accelerated its maturity. Disappointing (2659 views) | | | Tasted by duchamp on 7/7/2021 & rated 94 points: (from memory) Deep garnet, seductive nose of black plum, leather, graphite, black pepper, and Asian spices, mature red fruit on the attack with stewed plum, spice, mocha, fully integrated tannins and medium acidity, finishes like a Grand Cru Classé à Pauillac, with cedar, dark fruit, earth, ganache, balancing acidity and lingering wood and black tea notes
Note: had the 1994 (purchased from the winery) the night before and it wasn't in the same ballpark, sort of flat and lifeless, the '74 (at least this bottle) is in a league of its own (2368 views) | | | Tasted by DAN BAILEY on 6/24/2021: From mag. My second time enjoying this from mag although the previous time was at least a decade ago. Rich, chocolatey but not at all heavy. Excellent. (753 views) | | | Tasted by NickA on 6/24/2021 & rated 92 points: Gareth's Magnum Dinner, part 1 (Noize): Magnum. I seemed to be in a minority in not loving this: I respected it, but found certain unusual notes that I couldn't quite get past, so the wine seemed to me a bit of a curiosity rather than delicious per se. Caraway, mint chocolate (Matchmakers, to be precise), plenty of deep dark fruit. Nice mouthfeel and clearly lots of life left. (2478 views) | | | Tasted by NYC_Maenad on 6/13/2021: This was a low fill, SOS bottle so expectations were restrained. Stood upright for a week, then decanted off considerable sediment about an hour before serving and served on the cool side, allowing to warm in the glass, in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems. Saturated garnet color, very little bricking at the rim. Pretty classic in structure and style, notes of dill pickle and eucalyptus on the nose, along with a generous amount of somewhat faded black fruit. Nice medium body and dense, silky mouthfeel. Jonathan noted the possible damage in lack of tension, balance and precision, and I thought there was too much eucalyptus - an element to which I am sensitive. With air, the fruit faded gradually and by the end of the 3 hours or so period of which we drank the bottle, it was getting a little fuzzy. No doubt it wasn't a perfect example, and the next gear from a more sound example would have been nice to see, but it was still a fun and interesting bottle, though out performed on this occasion by the '74 Guasti Clemente Barolo Riserva drunk on the same evening. (2635 views) | | | Tasted by frenchiecagowine on 5/29/2021 & rated 94 points: The cork was actually in a bad shape and broke despite my best effort. I was still able to pull it all eventually without damage to the wine.
Color was actually still fairly deep for its age, with a light rim variation. The nose was elegant and subtle with notes of cherries and blackberries, clove and leather. The palate was the most impressive to me, with incredible silky texture and somewhat youthful sweet fruit, fully resolved tannins and a good backbone of acidity that makes this wine stand the test of time with great class. A fantastic wine that aged beautifully. (2059 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 5/1/2021 & rated 96 points: I have written this wine up quite a few times but this bottle was the best I have had. It didn't hurt that the cork was solid as a rock and the bottle had a bottom neck fill.
This wine had a deep red center with orange rims. The high- intensity nose offered up rhubarb, blackberries, allspice, roasted meat, clove and some Cuban cigar.
In the mouth, this wine was attractive from the start but certainly filled out and firmed up with a couple hours in the decanter. By then, it was firing on all cylinders with rounded tannin, firm acidity, lovely fruit complexity, and great length.
While fully mature, well stored bottles like this should last another 10 years or so. Outstanding! (1831 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 10/3/2020 & rated 95 points: Deep red center with orange at the rim. The medium intensity nose put forth blackberry, tan spices, fig, and soil.
In the mouth, this wine was a bit rough at first but smoothed out nicely with air. After 3+ hours the texture really came out. It had attractive balance, solid acidity, and very good length.
This is at its peak. Enjoy! (1991 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 9/20/2020 & rated 93 points: From a nice looking bottle with a HS fill, this wine has a deep red center with orange rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth an intense cherry/blueberry mix, cigar box, figs, and alluvial dust.
In the mouth, this wine was rich and ripe with light, rounded tanin, solid acidity and good length. The only element that held it back was a bit of excess heat (alcohol).
Thi wine had a lot of sediment which I drank separately. These dregs turned out to be very fine grained like Burgundy sediment. In retrospect, I should have included these in the decanter as they would have helped balance out the slight spike of alcohol. (1665 views) | | | Tasted by paulst on 6/30/2020 & rated 95 points: Outstanding; fruit and earth in balance; sweet jammy raspberry-blackberry; balanced; sweet finish. (1888 views) | | | Tasted by La Cave d'Argent on 12/13/2019 & rated 95 points: Tasted in double-blind fashion from a bottle with good provenance, this 45-year-old Napa Cab was impressive from attack to finish. Deep garnet in color, it delivers an aromatic and flavor profile of dark plums, leather, cigar, clove, truffle and cocoa. Medium-bodied and with medium acidity, it is softly textured by virtue of its fully melted tannins, seamless alcohol and well-woven oak. Plump on the mid-palate and long on the back end, this is impressive for a wine of any age. Bottles such as this have enough residual fruit to stay on plateau for at least another five years, meaning that it will celebrate a nice 50th birthday! Drink now-2024. (2612 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 9/17/2019 & rated 96 points: Chevillon Survey (Brasserie Margeuax): A wine for the ages. Explosive nose of aged plum and black cherry, with dried tobacco, cedar, and bell pepper. What a perfume. The palate is still so fresh with rich, round fruit and still present tannin. Wow. (3007 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 9/17/2019 & rated 95 points: Chevillon study (Chicago, IL): Wow, this wine is absolutely epic. The nose is a little stinky and bandaidy with the brett, but somehow it manages to slough off those off flavours with air. Then, this wine truly reveals its majesty -- the pyrazines here are fully ripe and sweet, and the sheer amount of fruit here is supernatural. It's not even desiccated or browned -- it's fruit that you would expect from a young bottle of wine. Not to mention, this has some Pichonesque (Lalande) perfume notes here too thanks to those ripe pyrazines. An incredible drink; I'm not sure you could ask for more out of a 45-year-old wine. (3458 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 4/13/2019 & rated 94 points: From bottle with a MTH shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center and tawny rims. The medium+ intensity nose was impressive right off the bat with its concentrated cherries, dusty red soil, blackberries, and baking spices. A hint of band-aid was a minor distraction.
It the mouth, this wine was quite rich and ripe with a great chewy texture. It had nice acidity, light rounded tannin, and very good length.
Interestingly, this bottle had a bit of a primary and slightly rustic note on top of its attractive complexity and lovely mouthfeel. It is clearly at a peak but should easily last for 10 years or so. Enjoy! (2700 views) | | | Tasted by sdr on 3/30/2019 & rated 93 points: Amazingly alive, very impressive. Soft, fruit fresher than most Bordeaux of similar age. But relatively simple without tertiary nuances. (2453 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 1/18/2019 & rated 94 points: From a nice looking bottle with a very top shoulder fill, this wine had a deep red center with orange rims. While not particularly special in the first hour, this wine blossomed nicely afterwards to show black cherries, dark soil, mocha, and just a hint of Provençal herbs.
In the mouth, the wine was rich, ripe and yet so well balanced. It has great poise, acidty, and length.
Tasted blind, I am sure this would be tough to guess. Another very impressive showing but just slight less impressive than the last bottle. (2241 views) | | | Tasted by cadamson on 10/21/2018 & rated 92 points: Last had this 10.5 years ago, and amazing how much my note then still match this bottle, now at 44 years of age. "A fantastic nose, especially if you like older french style barnyard, leather, cedar and cigar box. What a glorious funk. As for the palate, fruit still very good, still a bit of soft tannin, dusty, light in texture, good finish." I would certainly say time is to drink up, but while not at its prime, is still a glorious old school treat. #3 of 6 in a tasting of 1970's/1980's Cali cabs. (2224 views) | | | Tasted by djlevin on 10/20/2018 & rated 90 points: Blind Tasting of Aged Napa Cabs (Residence): Very balanced wine, but reached its limit. Still with medium acidity and medium-minus tannins, this drank reasonably well, but the oxidation had taken over the fruit and was a few years beyond its drinking window. The fruit had moved to more prune and raisin, rather than fresh fruit flavors. This would have drunk better at around 35 years, around 5-10 years ago. Drinking blind, the brownish color around the rim and stewed prune flavors gave this away, almost all of the group tasting identified this wine correctly. (2167 views) | | | Tasted by BradE on 10/1/2018: A very good bottle. Had a lot in common with an old Lafite. Terrific. (2463 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| 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 Reserve Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2012, Issue #41, Robert Mondavi’s Superb Run of Cabernet Sauvignon
(Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Alex Hunt, MW
JancisRobinson.com (7/3/2012)
(Robert Mondavi, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | The World of Fine Wine, March 2011, Issue #31
(Robert Mondavi Cabernet Reserve) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/29/2009)
(Robert Mondavi, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2007, Issue #9, The Golden Age of California Cabernet Sauvignon :The Decades of the 1960s and 1970s
(Robert Mondavi “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Cali Cabs Then and Somewhat Now plus Top 100 Weekend Teaser (4/10/2005)
(Mondavi Reserve) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, The European Grand Jury, Vegas Style (1/16/2005)
(Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon) Login and sign up and see review text. | By William Kelley
Decanter
(Robert Mondavi, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/15/2015)
(Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve) Very hazy, bricked, medium dark red violet color; mature, black mushroom, cassis, raspberry nose; silky textured, mature, baked raspberry, cassis, black cherry, mint palate with good balance; long finish 95 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (11/23/2013)
(Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve) From 2.5 liter bottle - cloudy, bricked, dark red violet color; mature, tart raspberry, talc, mulberry, dill, tobacco nose; mature, blackberry, blueberry, tart berry, black currant jam, mulberry palate; medium-plus finish (Michael & Tim Mondavi's last vintage together) 93+ points 93 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of The World of Fine Wine and Vinous and View From the Cellar and JancisRobinson.com and Vintage Tastings and Decanter and RJonWine.com. (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)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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