2014 Robert Mondavi Winery Harvest of Joy To-Kalon Vineyard

Community Tasting Note

11 comments have been posted

• Comment posted by Wine G:

  2/13/2019 9:55:00 PM - Hi Veraison. Grabbed a case of this stuff - i see you review a lot of mondavi wines. Would you say this is one of their best offerings?

• Comment posted by cupoverflowing1:

  2/14/2019 7:50:00 AM - yes, I have pretty much tried all of their higher end wines each vintage for the past few years... my rankings are somewhat skewed by value, and understand I get significant discounts as a bulk purchaser, so that applies too. given that, for the 2014 vintage, I would say: 1. 2014 Stag's Leap Cab wins the day based on value and taste, but the to Kalon cab is also great, just too expensive given it isn't noticeably better than the Stag's Leap; 2. their BDX blend edges out the Harvest of Joy just a bit because of value, and I think the BDX 2014 is probably the best value wine I found from 2014; 3. Harvest of Joy Blend is very good; 4. their Momentum was decent and worth considering, but I generally don't think the Momentum is worth it unless like 2012, it is a special vintage... 2014 Momentum is almost worth buying... I don't think the 2014 Oakville measures up to other vintages...I would not buy any other reds from Mondavi's 2014 vintage, but personally, I find the 2014 vintage is their very best in the last decade... then the 2012, then the 2015s... 2013 has great wines, but place 4th in my opinion

• Comment posted by Wine G:

  2/14/2019 11:20:00 AM - Thanks for sharing! I bought the Harvest of Joy of Kalon 2014, but now I am thinking to also get some 2014 Stags leap.
  
  IF those 2 were the same price would you still say Stags leap? does one stand above the other? Sounds like you like them both but have Stags leap above due to price, but assuming they were the same price?

• Comment posted by cupoverflowing1:

  2/14/2019 1:21:00 PM - price point on Stag's Leap and Harvest of Joy is basically the same, it's the BDX I was referring to... I would recommend you try all 2014s together- the Stag's Leap, Harvest of Joy and BDX side by side before ordering cases. if you cannot do that, then yes, I would put the Stag's Leap in 1st place, then it's a toss up between Harvest of Joy and BDX... I think you would be hard pressed to choose between the 2 in a blind tasting, BDX might even win that one, which gives the value nod to BDX. If price doesn't matter, I felt that the 2012 To Kalon Cab was their best wine, and that one is still available. The 2014 To Kalon Cab was really good too, but not enough to warrant the extra $$$ compared to the other wines we are discussing, unless $$$ doesn't matter, then get the To Kalon.

• Comment posted by Wine G:

  2/14/2019 3:12:00 PM - Thanks V-40! The BDX is not on my list of options. I'll roll the dice on the Harvest of Joy knowing that it is the TO Kalon fruit. Also on the Stags leap I was wrong -I can get the 2013 not 2014. what do you think about the 2013 stags leap?
  Thanks for sharing your notes and guidance!

• Comment posted by cupoverflowing1:

  2/14/2019 4:21:00 PM - I have had the 2014 Harvest of Joy several times, and own a case myself... it is a great wine.. that will be a fine purchase... I am not a fan of Mondavi's 2013 line-up... the 2015s though are tasting great, so I would buy the 2015 Stag's Leap and/or Harvest of Joy, over the 2013 Stag's Leap or Harvest of Joy... it may be that those wines emerge over time (which many experts predict), but I would rather go with more certainty

• Comment posted by russwong315:

  2/14/2019 9:32:00 PM - Wine G - Did you get your case of 14 Robert Mondavi Harvest of Joy To Kalon? How was it?
  Is the Reserve head and shoulders better?

• Comment posted by russwong315:

  2/15/2019 9:32:00 PM - V40 - is the harvest that much better than the RM Oakville. they are both 100% to-kalon. the harvest is just more of a blend right? is the harvest worth it?

• Comment posted by cupoverflowing1:

  2/16/2019 6:22:00 AM - your question is always a matter of taste, but if you are talking about quality, then the answer is "no"... Mondavi has several tiers of quality with their To Kalon Cab at the top, then Harvest of Joy and Stag's Leap next in line. Price points are a good reference. Your next level of quality is the BDX and Oakville, both of which are blends even if Oakville says "cab." I am not discussing their line of Pinots (I'm not a fan). I am always comfortable buying To Kalon Cab reserve, Stag's Leap and Harvest of Joy. With Oakville and BDX, it totally depends on vintage, as they vary what goes into those blends depending on the "leftovers" from the To Kalon fruit and other higher quality fruit from the Oakville area. Another tell is the amount of new oak content. The 2014 BDX is 100% To Kalon fruit and 87% new Oak, and an amazing wine. The 2014 Oakville is 29% new oak and a mixture of Oakville area fruit. I personally don't own any 2014 Oakville, but I own many cases of 2014 BDX. Different story in 2015, as the Oakville is a phenomenal wine, with 97% new French Oak. The next factor for me is at what point the winemaker starts adding chemicals. I feel pretty safe that a winemaker will not usually add chemicals to a new wine barrel, but it is a different story for used. Once you drop below the BDX and Oakville tiers, you are proportionately more likely to be drinking chemicals as the price points drop to the Woodbridge levels.

• Comment posted by russwong315:

  2/16/2019 7:03:00 AM - v40 - thank you very much for your wine notes.

• Comment posted by Wine G:

  2/18/2019 2:00:00 PM - V40 Thanks for your notes, and expertise on the Mondavi lineup. Very cool. Received the Harvest of Joy 2014, letting them marinate for a few weeks before I pop one. Looking forward to it. I'll try to get some of the Stags Leap and BDX as well when I get the opportunities. Cheers!