2008 Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc

Community Tasting Notes (27) Avg Score: 87 points

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  9/17/2013 - forceberry wrote: 88 Points

  A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (92%) and Sémillon (8%) aged in oak.
  
  Quite pale and even rather neutral color, albeit tending more towards pale yellow than green. Quite characterful nose is compared to traditional, steel-aged Sauvignon Blancs: it is dominated by more stuffy than fresh aromas of currant leaves and white currants with some underlying oak notes of cream and smoke, with a hint of canned asparagus in the background. It is surprisingly hard to put the nose into words. Surprisingly full-bodied, even oily and rather concenctrated on the palate with ripe flavors of whitecurrants, some asparagus grenness, a little passion fruit and oak nuances of vanilla and cream. Although the wine feels moderately high in acidity, the mouthfeel is still rather soft and mellow. The finish is quite long with layered flavors of asparagus, green Sauvignon Blanc notes, some cantaloupe, a little vanilla and hints of smoke.
  
  A characterful and interesting take on Sauvignon Blanc; stylistically this is closer to the oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon blends of Bordeaux than the classic Sauvignon Blancs of Pouilly-Fumé, but with more emphasis on rich, new world aromatics of SB than what one might find in wines of Bordeaux. Overall the wine is complex and quite enjoyable, but a bit too heavy, soft and low on acidity to fit my taste. Fortunately the oak influence is quite light and well-integrated here, letting the fruit take the lead. I can imagine that this wine will age much better than many a Sauvignon Blanc, because the wine was relatively aged for a SB already at 5 years, and it didn't seem at all mature yet. A bit crowdpleaser, but a high-quality effort for one. Yet, despite its high quality, I think that the wine is way too overpriced at 29,90€ – I wouldn't pay much more than 20€ for a wine like this.

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  9/23/2012 - jenss17 wrote:

  Very nice

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  5/6/2012 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 85 Points

  Drank at my Cinco de Mayo party to start off the evening, before switching to margaritas. lovely tropical nose, fresh pineapple on the palate. I like the creaminess, and the guava and lemon zest flavors. Good, but not very complex.

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  4/14/2012 - askoenig3 wrote: 89 Points

  Clear lemon color with an inviting nose and powerful flavor intensity. Elegant taste of pear, peach, orange with the fermentation in oak providing oak and vanilla. Balance was harmonious, dry with medium acidity and long finish. A very nice wine. Tasted as part of wine course.

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  4/8/2012 - TannicBeast wrote: 86 Points

  Sampled it with several California and French Sauvignon Blancs of the 2010 vintage, with and without food, and reached a couple of conclusions. First, although good, this bottle was not as good as its 2009 sibling that I had six months ago. The fruit is more muted allowing the oak to become much more prevalent. Second, more noticeable oak detracts from the appeal and food friendliness of good Sauvignon Blancs. Third, the acidity is medium, compared to medium plus, and therefore this wine is softer and not as fresh or vibrant. This is splitting hairs, however, and this is still a fine, benchmark SB. Drink now. Do not hold.

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