Community Tasting Note

• Venice Al Likes this wine: 93 points

  March 11, 2023 - Remarkable at 50! From a 750 that was stored at the Wine Locker untouched since 1976. Great fill, cork saturated but intact with Durand. Significant bricking and in a tasting pour can see through to the stem. On the nose it clearly shows age with tobacco, dried flowers, cherry fruit, cedar, a nice saline mineral component. On the palate it is consistent with good acid - tannin balance and great mouthfeel. Fruit is still alive - though if I had well stored bottles, I would drink it rather than risk decline. Beautiful showing from this “regular” Napa cab!

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2 Comments

• VintageCharacter commented:

  6/9/23, 8:28 PM - At a trade tasting decades ago,
  they were pouring a 1985 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon.
  I asked the winery rep,
  “Is this the regular Cabernet?”
  His reply put me in my place:
  “Mondavi does not have a REGULAR Cabernet.
  This is the Napa Valley Cabernet.”
  A real show stopper, the ‘85 was quite similar to, yet even better than their iconic groundbreaking 1969.

• Venice Al commented:

  6/9/23, 8:43 PM - Funny! I was actually at a primarily Bordeaux and Burgundy dinner last night. We started discussing the 1978 Mondavi - both reserve and “regular” Napa valley. 1 friend has a 6 liter- but he knows not if it is the reg or reserve as it is hidden away. Based on my experience with magnums of the 78 “reg” - the last of which I finished about 6-8 years ago, with a 6 liter, it will be great!

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