Base neck fill with a pretty good cork that required some delicate ah-so work to get it out. At first a whiff of bruised fruit, old coffee, prunes but actually seems pretty intact beneath that. As it blows off there's some forestal woodsy scents, a remnant of currants, leather, mint, quite meaty, and unsurprisingly some cedar - kind of lending the impression of an old cabin. Low-ish acidity, ample tannin, good mature sweetness in a shockingly deep color. Not the most profound wine, but a perfectly healthy glimpse into old school California from one of the best.
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Popped and poured, this could be a great ringer for an older, mature Pauillac. There is softness to the tannins, ripe, fresh, earthy red berries, cedar and tobacco, all in perfect proportions, this is a nice treat, especially when you stop to consider that it's only a few years away from 50 years of age!
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Tasted at The Fine Wine Experience Mature Robert Mondavi Tasting, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. This was an older version of the '86 we tasted. Acid definitely present but still balanced.
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Sampled 1/20/12. Clearly on its way down and barely hanging on. Top shoulder fill. Good cork. Some overripe black fruits are still present with silky and sweet tannins. The finish starts to break up a little and the wine has clearly lost its depth. Probably still very good in magnum.
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Decanted and poured. Consumed over 45 minutes. Dark red in glass, with browning at the edge. Nose of red fruits, with tobacco, menthol and wet leaves. Plenty of red fruits on the palate, led by sour cherries, raspberries, cedar and earth, with some notes of mushroom and saddle leather. Still going strong.
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Cork was in good shape (one piece) with streaks 75% through. Very expressive nose with a touch of mint and eucalyptus. Taste of a bit of cherry and red fruits with tertiary flavors like earth and cedar in command. Finish was a bit clipped and ended with a cedar note. Probably at the end of its life.
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Nice looking bottle other than a very high shoulder fill. The deep red center and oranging rims suggest that this wine is right about in the middle of it's drinking window. The medium intensity nose was focused on black cherry with some soil and mocha notes. It was not obviously a CA cab. Smelled blind, it would come across more as a mid 80s Bordeaux.
At first, the mouth had a silky smooth attack with notable tannin in the finish . However as the wine aired it became longer, more complex, and much more integrated (not a huge surprise). At the 3 hour mark the wine developed what I call the Napa "red dust" which is similar to the concept of a "peacock's tail" in Burgundy. An impressive showing for this wine. My opinion is these older Mondavi Reserves are underappreciated in the marketplace due to the relative availability of more recent vintages.
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2/14/2018 - andtheodor wrote:
Base neck fill with a pretty good cork that required some delicate ah-so work to get it out. At first a whiff of bruised fruit, old coffee, prunes but actually seems pretty intact beneath that. As it blows off there's some forestal woodsy scents, a remnant of currants, leather, mint, quite meaty, and unsurprisingly some cedar - kind of lending the impression of an old cabin. Low-ish acidity, ample tannin, good mature sweetness in a shockingly deep color. Not the most profound wine, but a perfectly healthy glimpse into old school California from one of the best.
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1/28/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured, this could be a great ringer for an older, mature Pauillac. There is softness to the tannins, ripe, fresh, earthy red berries, cedar and tobacco, all in perfect proportions, this is a nice treat, especially when you stop to consider that it's only a few years away from 50 years of age!
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9/26/2017 - KoalaHK wrote:
Tasted at The Fine Wine Experience Mature Robert Mondavi Tasting, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. This was an older version of the '86 we tasted. Acid definitely present but still balanced.
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6/10/2016 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wine Flock Intro-Retro Blind Tasting (Gary's home outside on the porch, Chicago IL): Pop and pour, blind, darker color, initially off putting, damp diaper smell, developed with time in the glass, for me this was quite enjoyable.
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6/10/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Chicago Wine Flock...Gary Opens Cali Cab (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): Mature black fruit with cedar, mushroom and good concentration. Balance is the highlight here, this almost seemed like an elegant aged Bordeaux.
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1/21/2012 - mxpbuy wrote: 88 Points
Sampled 1/20/12. Clearly on its way down and barely hanging on. Top shoulder fill. Good cork. Some overripe black fruits are still present with silky and sweet tannins. The finish starts to break up a little and the wine has clearly lost its depth. Probably still very good in magnum.
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11/23/2011 - arthrovine wrote: 92 Points
Cork was crap, but wine was singing. Wet tobacco, lots of fruit, sour cherries, gorgeous wine. A young 38 year - old.
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10/23/2011 - spv wrote: flawed
Not really drinkable. Initial nose of fruit, which dissipated quickly. Garnet color with an amber tinge. Chemical aftertaste.
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6/7/2011 - Fielding wrote: 94 Points
Decanted and poured. Consumed over 45 minutes. Dark red in glass, with browning at the edge. Nose of red fruits, with tobacco, menthol and wet leaves. Plenty of red fruits on the palate, led by sour cherries, raspberries, cedar and earth, with some notes of mushroom and saddle leather. Still going strong.
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3/21/2010 - Brsed wrote: 93 Points
Cork was in good shape (one piece) with streaks 75% through. Very expressive nose with a touch of mint and eucalyptus. Taste of a bit of cherry and red fruits with tertiary flavors like earth and cedar in command. Finish was a bit clipped and ended with a cedar note. Probably at the end of its life.
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10/17/2009 - JAKurek wrote: 94 Points
monster bottle...been open 5 hours and getting better
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10/3/2009 - fclarity wrote: 93 Points
Nice looking bottle other than a very high shoulder fill. The deep red center and oranging rims suggest that this wine is right about in the middle of it's drinking window. The medium intensity nose was focused on black cherry with some soil and mocha notes. It was not obviously a CA cab. Smelled blind, it would come across more as a mid 80s Bordeaux.
At first, the mouth had a silky smooth attack with notable tannin in the finish . However as the wine aired it became longer, more complex, and much more integrated (not a huge surprise). At the 3 hour mark the wine developed what I call the Napa "red dust" which is similar to the concept of a "peacock's tail" in Burgundy. An impressive showing for this wine. My opinion is these older Mondavi Reserves are underappreciated in the marketplace due to the relative availability of more recent vintages.
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6/18/2009 - Rupert wrote: flawed
Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve: vertical tasting 1966 to 2001 (Institute of Directors, London): Clearly corked I thought, but the taint did seem to diminish so it probably wasn't TCA, but it was dirty
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