BUMMER... was so looking fwd to this wine, after many bottles of the '76 and '78 version... very rarely do I open a bottle that is fully spoiled but this was that... on the pnp - flawed, left the decanter alone for several hours (just in case) - flawed, tried the second half of the bottle (which had been gassed and fridged) the next day, flawed... must have been spoiled by heat or cork compromise... in fact there was a San Andreas fault in the middle of the top of the cork with reddish sludge in it
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Birthyear wine, opened for my daughter's birthday. Purchased on release with the $27 price tag still on the bottle. Pleasantly surprised with how well this has held up. Deep red in color, with only the slightest browning at the edge. Very subdued on opening, but blossomed after about 30 minutes with aromas of cassis, old saddle leather and menthol/mint. Medium bodied, with red fruit (plum) flavors and a hint of spice. The relatively short finish didn't detract at all. A very nice well-aged Napa Cab ...
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From the oenotheque machine @ Hedonism wines in London. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Drinking quite well right now. Dried fruits and potpourri. A bit fresher than I expected. Interesting because drank between two Bordeauxs and honestly this was right in that style.
Very dark, youthful color; does not look like a 32 year old wine. Bob cites eucalyptus on the palate and says this could be Heitz. I like the sweetness of the fruit here. Stephen and Bob both find rose petals. With air, a round and balanced mouthfeel; really like this. Old school, well preserved CA Cab that is showing very nicely and elegant today. Lunch at Le Perigord.
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A Fall Magnum Dinner in Toronto (Irongate, Toronto, ON): (from magnum) I quite like older Mondavis and this one followed the house style nicely. The complex and mature nose wafts dried orange peel, almond, mint/menthol, new leather, shoe polish, tea, coriander seed and some background cassis. The palate is drying and light, showing that this is fully mature. The nose is certainly better than palate on this enjoyable, mature cab. The finish is medium minus in length revealing an amaro liquer finish that I often associate with these older style napa cabs.
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From a six liter bottle at the winery. Very developed but still quite sound this is a true testament to the glory that was Napa Valley Cabernet before the overripe monsters of today. Still vibrant and and quite sound.
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Opened approximately 1 hour prior to serving. Pours a dark, brickish red. The aromas took a bit of time to unlock but once they did, this wine was marvelous. Ripe red cherry fruit leather, cassis, menthol, and leathery baseball glove all emerge. Excellent depth to the bouquet. On the palate it's got a light, structured mouthfeel yet retains good concentration. The menthol note runs right down the middle of the palate, cleaving fruit leather, plum, and cassis notes. Soft tannins and, surprise, still good acidity work to frame the fruit. The finish is smooth and subtle, more dusty-leather and a hint of peppercorn than fruity. This was drinking beautifully over the course of several hours.
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Really nice nose on this wine, tons of secondaries going on with aged leather, earth, coffee, etc going on. Some dried fruit left with the secondaries on the palate, but I think the nose is the highlight.
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Birthday Tasting - Weygandt Wines (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.): I’ve loved this wine in the past, and I’ve never had a bad bottle, but I especially love the way this one was showing. It was something else. I don’t know if I’ve ever smelled tabasco sauce on Cab, but this wine has a lot of it. It’s great, it smells like tabasco sauce, pickles, chewing tobacco and library dust on top of dried currant tea. The tannins are so fine and dusty, the acid is refreshing, a light and elegant feel to this wine. Flavors of dried cranberry and wild strawberries left unpicked until autumn, backed up by dusty earth, shaved dark chocolate, chewing tobacco and all sorts of spice. Long, earthy, herbal, complex. Old Mondavi Reserve is one of my favorite things. I meant to hold this until my 33rd, but oh well.
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Mostly American Wines; 7/2/2014-7/6/2014: Light ruby color. Nose of black and Kalamata olives, green and black pepper, spiced black tea, pickles, but I still get some tangy cherries and dried currants, also notes of dark chocolate. On the palate, fined down tannins, the acid is crisp and pronounced. Flavors of soy, pickle, tobacco, wet leaves, leather and charcoal with lots of spicy earthy tones. Sour cherries and sweet dried currants linger in the background. Elegant, complex, with pronounced earth and herbal tones. In my mind, this is still holding up, but the fruit isn’t exactly front and center. Three years since my last bottle, and I think I hold off another two or three until I open my last one.
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Opened and decanted to remove sediment. Leather, pencil, tobacco on nose. Similar taste along with green pepper. Complexity still there with a long finish. Very enjoyable.
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Opened and decanted to remove sediment. Leather, pencil, tobacco on nose. Similar taste along with cranberry and green pepper with a lot of complexity still evident. Long, lingering finish. Very enjoyable bottle.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Surprisingly lively. Showed better than the 84 tasted previously. Some cloudy color. Nice nose though of roast turkey. Light briny soy, Worcestershire. Strong menthol, green pepper, white peppercorn. Little reductive. Light savory elements. Balanced and finesse. Lighter savory style. Really nice.
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Thursday Night with the Parents; 2/3/2011-2/4/2011: cork was soaked halfway through, but no seepage. i decanted this and drank over the course of two hours with my parents. the light ruby colored wine shows dusty plums, some raisins and a hint of green pepper on the nose, not an underripe fruit flavor, but more of an aged, dried pepper kind of aroma. over time, some sour cherry fruit came out in force. very interesting nose that seemed to show a different aroma every ten minutes. over the course of the night i picked up a bit of leather, also some plum skins. on the palate, the tannins are refined and subtle. the acid is really zipping. on the palate i got a bit of tomato paste, some earth, some dust and some worn leather. my father commented that the wine tasted "like an oiled catcher's mitt" and i think he was right on. "there's also some sour cherries stuck in the mitt," he said. agreed. i also got some brine and some chewing tobacco over time. it really changed with air and the decanter but it didn't die right away. the fruit has really waned, but the secondary flavors are quite unique. the finish is smooth and long. it might've been better a few years ago, i don't know.
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What becomes a legend most? Alright, we're already in overstatement mode, but this is a 26 year old cab from a decent vintage. Anyone want to guess alcohol content? Can you say 12% boys and girls? Still standing, with a haunting blackberry impression backed up by a rush of minerals. Decent fruit, more minerals in the mouth, tannins bordering on non-existent. Worth contemplating, appreciating, respecting, and drinking ASAP.
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Taken to Marlowe's for a blind cabernet tasting. Open and poured. A good cabernet given the age. Thoroughly enjoyed by all - in fact WOTN. Definetly no more improvement for this wine and may be in decline.
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Not a particularly great year for Mondavi, but nonetheless a good bottle of wine. I wish I had decanted it for longer as 3 hours was not nearly long enough to open up. Smooth tannins with a minerally, almost French palate.
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Tasted at winery. Deep ruby with brick rim. Intense cigar box/tobacco nose, with light berries. Medium body, soft tannins. Medium finish. In decline. Drink now.
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Tasting of 9 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserves which was repeated with a different wine group. Was bright red in glass, high fruit on nose, big, fruity, well balanced in the mouth, high acid on finish but great finish and aftertaste. My #2 of 9.
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Tasting of 9 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Was the same bright, red color in the glass with intense cabernet nose, big, fruity, concentrated mouth feel, but lost on the finish due to high acid aftertaste. My #2.
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1/11/2020 - WoodieBayArea wrote: flawed
BUMMER... was so looking fwd to this wine, after many bottles of the '76 and '78 version... very rarely do I open a bottle that is fully spoiled but this was that... on the pnp - flawed, left the decanter alone for several hours (just in case) - flawed, tried the second half of the bottle (which had been gassed and fridged) the next day, flawed... must have been spoiled by heat or cork compromise... in fact there was a San Andreas fault in the middle of the top of the cork with reddish sludge in it
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7/9/2019 - scottj Likes this wine: 89 Points
Birthyear wine, opened for my daughter's birthday. Purchased on release with the $27 price tag still on the bottle. Pleasantly surprised with how well this has held up. Deep red in color, with only the slightest browning at the edge. Very subdued on opening, but blossomed after about 30 minutes with aromas of cassis, old saddle leather and menthol/mint. Medium bodied, with red fruit (plum) flavors and a hint of spice. The relatively short finish didn't detract at all. A very nice well-aged Napa Cab ...
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5/19/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
From the oenotheque machine @ Hedonism wines in London. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Drinking quite well right now. Dried fruits and potpourri. A bit fresher than I expected. Interesting because drank between two Bordeauxs and honestly this was right in that style.
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3/10/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
On day two: tobacco and cedar, one taster noted tomato.
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11/2/2015 - Pknut wrote:
Very dark, youthful color; does not look like a 32 year old wine. Bob cites eucalyptus on the palate and says this could be Heitz. I like the sweetness of the fruit here. Stephen and Bob both find rose petals. With air, a round and balanced mouthfeel; really like this. Old school, well preserved CA Cab that is showing very nicely and elegant today. Lunch at Le Perigord.
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10/7/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
A Fall Magnum Dinner in Toronto (Irongate, Toronto, ON): (from magnum) I quite like older Mondavis and this one followed the house style nicely. The complex and mature nose wafts dried orange peel, almond, mint/menthol, new leather, shoe polish, tea, coriander seed and some background cassis. The palate is drying and light, showing that this is fully mature. The nose is certainly better than palate on this enjoyable, mature cab. The finish is medium minus in length revealing an amaro liquer finish that I often associate with these older style napa cabs.
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4/22/2015 - Woodbridge Brad Likes this wine: 90 Points
From a six liter bottle at the winery. Very developed but still quite sound this is a true testament to the glory that was Napa Valley Cabernet before the overripe monsters of today. Still vibrant and and quite sound.
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10/17/2014 - ucbeau Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened approximately 1 hour prior to serving. Pours a dark, brickish red. The aromas took a bit of time to unlock but once they did, this wine was marvelous. Ripe red cherry fruit leather, cassis, menthol, and leathery baseball glove all emerge. Excellent depth to the bouquet. On the palate it's got a light, structured mouthfeel yet retains good concentration. The menthol note runs right down the middle of the palate, cleaving fruit leather, plum, and cassis notes. Soft tannins and, surprise, still good acidity work to frame the fruit. The finish is smooth and subtle, more dusty-leather and a hint of peppercorn than fruity. This was drinking beautifully over the course of several hours.
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9/24/2014 - manonthemoon wrote: 91 Points
Really nice nose on this wine, tons of secondaries going on with aged leather, earth, coffee, etc going on. Some dried fruit left with the secondaries on the palate, but I think the nose is the highlight.
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9/24/2014 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
Birthday Tasting - Weygandt Wines (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.): I’ve loved this wine in the past, and I’ve never had a bad bottle, but I especially love the way this one was showing. It was something else. I don’t know if I’ve ever smelled tabasco sauce on Cab, but this wine has a lot of it. It’s great, it smells like tabasco sauce, pickles, chewing tobacco and library dust on top of dried currant tea. The tannins are so fine and dusty, the acid is refreshing, a light and elegant feel to this wine. Flavors of dried cranberry and wild strawberries left unpicked until autumn, backed up by dusty earth, shaved dark chocolate, chewing tobacco and all sorts of spice. Long, earthy, herbal, complex. Old Mondavi Reserve is one of my favorite things. I meant to hold this until my 33rd, but oh well.
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7/2/2014 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Mostly American Wines; 7/2/2014-7/6/2014: Light ruby color. Nose of black and Kalamata olives, green and black pepper, spiced black tea, pickles, but I still get some tangy cherries and dried currants, also notes of dark chocolate. On the palate, fined down tannins, the acid is crisp and pronounced. Flavors of soy, pickle, tobacco, wet leaves, leather and charcoal with lots of spicy earthy tones. Sour cherries and sweet dried currants linger in the background. Elegant, complex, with pronounced earth and herbal tones. In my mind, this is still holding up, but the fruit isn’t exactly front and center. Three years since my last bottle, and I think I hold off another two or three until I open my last one.
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11/30/2013 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted to remove sediment. Leather, pencil, tobacco on nose. Similar taste along with green pepper. Complexity still there with a long finish. Very enjoyable.
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8/21/2012 - heimbach wrote: 81 Points
Old and tired. Drink up.
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1/14/2012 - Clos & Cru wrote: 93 Points
in blind vs 1983 beausejour becot. RM Res won. it still had plenty ripe fruit, chocolate, tobacco and long
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11/25/2011 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted to remove sediment. Leather, pencil, tobacco on nose. Similar taste along with cranberry and green pepper with a lot of complexity still evident. Long, lingering finish. Very enjoyable bottle.
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6/4/2011 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Surprisingly lively. Showed better than the 84 tasted previously. Some cloudy color. Nice nose though of roast turkey. Light briny soy, Worcestershire. Strong menthol, green pepper, white peppercorn. Little reductive. Light savory elements. Balanced and finesse. Lighter savory style. Really nice.
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6/4/2011 - psmith wrote:
Bordeaux like in its refinement and grainy, balancing tannins. Softened fruit. Tobacco and cedar. Very nice.
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2/4/2011 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 91 Points
Thursday Night with the Parents; 2/3/2011-2/4/2011: cork was soaked halfway through, but no seepage. i decanted this and drank over the course of two hours with my parents. the light ruby colored wine shows dusty plums, some raisins and a hint of green pepper on the nose, not an underripe fruit flavor, but more of an aged, dried pepper kind of aroma. over time, some sour cherry fruit came out in force. very interesting nose that seemed to show a different aroma every ten minutes. over the course of the night i picked up a bit of leather, also some plum skins. on the palate, the tannins are refined and subtle. the acid is really zipping. on the palate i got a bit of tomato paste, some earth, some dust and some worn leather. my father commented that the wine tasted "like an oiled catcher's mitt" and i think he was right on. "there's also some sour cherries stuck in the mitt," he said. agreed. i also got some brine and some chewing tobacco over time. it really changed with air and the decanter but it didn't die right away. the fruit has really waned, but the secondary flavors are quite unique. the finish is smooth and long. it might've been better a few years ago, i don't know.
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12/25/2010 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Nice aged cabernet. Dark red to brown colour. Cherry, cedar, spice and a slight fortified note. Interesting bottle with a bit more time left.
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12/7/2010 - McBenalds wrote: 89 Points
Had flattened out a bit, without the structure that the '77 had.
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11/8/2010 - Hugh Stirling Likes this wine:
just over the hill, buit still lots of interesting flavours and class.
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3/7/2009 - bevetroppo wrote: 90 Points
What becomes a legend most? Alright, we're already in overstatement mode, but this is a 26 year old cab from a decent vintage. Anyone want to guess alcohol content? Can you say 12% boys and girls? Still standing, with a haunting blackberry impression backed up by a rush of minerals. Decent fruit, more minerals in the mouth, tannins bordering on non-existent. Worth contemplating, appreciating, respecting, and drinking ASAP.
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10/1/2007 - Afrazer wrote: 90 Points
Taken to Marlowe's for a blind cabernet tasting. Open and poured. A good cabernet given the age. Thoroughly enjoyed by all - in fact WOTN. Definetly no more improvement for this wine and may be in decline.
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3/12/2007 - Lwelfley wrote: 90 Points
much better than expected as it was beyond drinking window. Had a very bordeaux taste. Needed more time than 1 hour to open up.
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10/30/2006 - TylerMcNinch wrote: 87 Points
Not a particularly great year for Mondavi, but nonetheless a good bottle of wine. I wish I had decanted it for longer as 3 hours was not nearly long enough to open up. Smooth tannins with a minerally, almost French palate.
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3/1/1992 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 75 Points
Tasted at winery. Deep ruby with brick rim. Intense cigar box/tobacco nose, with light berries. Medium body, soft tannins. Medium finish. In decline. Drink now.
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3/16/1991 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 86 Points
8 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons Tasted at the Mondavi Reserve Room (Robert Mondavi Winery Reserve Tasting Room): Nice, cab fruit, but slightly hot and dusty on the nose, decent bottle bouquet, medium body in the mouth and medium finish and medium aftertaste, easy fruit forward drinking.
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11/25/1989 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasting of 9 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserves which was repeated with a different wine group.
Was bright red in glass, high fruit on nose, big, fruity, well balanced in the mouth, high acid on finish but great finish and aftertaste.
My #2 of 9.
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11/2/1989 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasting of 9 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons. Was the same bright, red color in the glass with intense cabernet nose, big, fruity, concentrated mouth feel, but lost on the finish due to high acid aftertaste. My #2.
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