x
  • Country ranking ?

    474
  • Producer ranking ?

    34
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Game

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The Story

"The ultimate expression of terroir." Hand-selected fruit from the finest blocks within our vineyards are handled with the greatest care in our dedicated reserve fermentation cellar. These wines combine elegant complexity with density and structure, and demonstrate the art of winemaking. 

Our Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is the wine which embodies Robert Mondavi’s philosophy of making wines that are powerful yet gentle. Each year the blend reflects the “First Growth” quality of the To Kalon Vineyard. It is a classic wine which represents the history of innovation and style at Robert Mondavi Winery.

Genevieve Janssens - Director of Winemaking

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Wine Information

In Napa Valley, as throughout California, 1998 was an unusual year for weather. El Niño gave us a growing season punctuated with extremes ― twice the normal rainfall, 18 days of frost, cold weather at bloom and record heat spells. Yields for some varieties were down because of the wet weather during bloom and berry set. A period of excessive summer heat caused sunburn in some vineyards, necessitating thinning to maintain high quality. But then, as harvest approached, the weather improved, and we had near perfect mild, sunny days for ripening. The small, loose clusters had sufficient “hang time” on the vines to create vibrant flavors and natural balance in the wines. Overall, the 1998 harvest, one of the latest of the decade, turned out to be of excellent quality.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Deep, Ruby red and Bright

ending

Long, Round and Flavorful

flavors

Blackcurrant, Plum, Toasty, Smoky, Cigar-box and Earthy

nose

Intense, Opulent, Ripe and Rich

taste

Average in Acidity, Medium tannin, Balanced, Well-Integrated, Well-structured, Developing, Full-bodied, Round, Rich, Vigor and Silky tannins

Verdict

Exotic

Written Notes

1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve / 89-90 When released, the reds from the El Niño vintage 1998, was criticized by most American wine writers as unripe wines with green tannins. In most cases I agree on that, but the critic was not true for all wines. The wine growers who did the best job, and the winemakers who sorted the grapes well, made very good wines. Most of the wines, however, still didn’t show the ripeness and sweet fruit that so many American wine writers like and look for. But for me, with a more European palate, I found many wines to be quite elegant and classic, although not great with Californian standards in mind. However, I knew the best wines needed some years in bottle to mature, and to leave some of the grassy notes behind. Over the last year, I have tasted dozens of 1998s – and now I know I was right. The 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a good example of a good (but not great) wine of the vintage. It is medium intense, actually with slightly deeper fruit than the 1996, but what is doesn’t have is the same complexity and finesse although it is medium bodied. I like this wine, but I wouldn’t keep it much longer.
  • 90p
Bit overwhelming coconut flavour. Decant for 3 hours. Drinking well now but will improve for next 6 to 10 years.
  • 89p
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Information

Origin

Oakville, Napa Valley

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

No Potential

Fake factory

None

Glass time

1h

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Inside Information

Our 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve captures the personality of Napa Valley’s celebrated Oakville District with beautifully articulated flavors of berries, cassis and spice. We selected 70% of the blend from the Oakville District with 40% harvested from Robert Mondavi’s historic To Kalon Estate Vineyard. This vineyard has been continually planted to grapes for over 130 years and, for more than 50 years, it has been the backbone of Robert Mondavi's finest Cabernet Sauvignon wines. To Kalon Vineyard and the neighboring vineyards selected for this wine, are on the Oakville bench where low-fertility, well-drained soils allow deep rooting and the development of complex flavors in the grapes. To enhance the ripe berry complexity of the wine, and complement the Oakville District fruit, we harvested 15% of the grapes from the Stags Leap District, 10% from the Carneros District, and 5% from a vineyard in west Napa Valley. We hand-harvested the grapes at an average sugar level of 24.6° Brix with 0.67% acid and 3.69 pH.

FERMENTATION AND AGING

The vineyard-lots of grapes selected as reserve candidates receive special attention throughout winemaking and aging. We hand-harvested the grapes into small bins and brought them to the winery for destemming and light crushing. The wine was fermented with a combination of cultured and native yeasts for greater complexity. After an average of 37 days extended skin contact to naturally soften tannins and enhance varietal character, the wine was gently pressed and transferred to 60 gallon, chateau-style French oak barrels (85% new French oak). All the wine completed an extended (85% native) malolactic fermentation in barrels for softness and depth. To achieve natural clarity, we gently racked the wine barrel-to-barrel six times during over 15 months of aging. The wine was bottled unfiltered to fully retain the vibrant aromas and rich, powerful flavors.

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