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  • Country ranking ?

    382
  • Producer ranking ?

    18
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    now to 2035
  • Food Pairing

    Country Pâté with Fig Compote on a Crostini

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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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

The harvest in 2008 was very different from the norm in Napa Valley. Mother Nature turned the year into a real thriller, which held producers in its grip from the start all the way until harvest time.

The year began in stormy conditions: the valley was buffeted by downpours and storm winds. These then gave way to an agonisingly long dry period. The spring’s rainfall only reached 60 per cent of the average, and went down in history as one of the driest springs in Napa Valley. Due to the mild and dry weather, the vines’ growing season started earlier than ever. The early sprouting was fateful, however, when the month-long dry period in the spring was followed by destructive sub-zero night-time temperatures. This was not just on a few isolated nights, but went on for a whole month. The long night-time frosts had a devastating effect on the sprouting vines, cutting harvests by up to one third.

During the long frost period, producers pulled out all of their tricks to protect the vines. Some vineyards in the valley have large fans, which were in intensive use throughout the spring. Areas that did not have fans used sprinklers for watering the vines so that the water would freeze onto the buds to shield them from the icy cold. The flowering season after the frosts was irregular and, due to uneven pollination, led to below-average harvests. The summer started off cool and remained so until late August. As a result, the grapes developed slowly and became intense and concentrated. In the late summer, ripening was accelerated by a one-week heat wave, which was followed by dry weather during the harvest. Although the harvest was smaller than usual, the grape quality was excellent.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Deep

ending

Endless

flavors

Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Herbs and Chocolate

nose

Intense and Rich

taste

Perfectly balanced

Verdict

Full-bodied and Intelligent

Written Notes

Good looking in an excellent condition. Colour is full and deep . On the nose it is intense and rich. The taste is with perfectly balanced structure. On the palate it is layered and has blackcurrant, chocolate, herbs, blueberry and blackberry flavours. The finish is endless. This wine is intelligent,a mouthfilling and impressive. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 10-15 years.
- (Tasting note created by Tb's AI)
  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Oakville, Napa Valley

Vintage Quality

Above Average

Value For Money

Very good

Investment potential

No Potential

Fake factory

None

Glass time

2h

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Inside Information

When Robert Mondavi chose the To Kalon Vineyard as the home for his new winery in 1966 he remarked that “It was a vineyard with a distinguished history and a magical nature. Ideal soils, sunlight, and rain—to my eye, the vineyard was a treasure.” Those sentiments were re-confirmed when the To Kalon Vineyard was named the Vineyard of the Year by

the California State Farm Bureau in 2011. The To Kalon Vineyard lies on prime benchland in west Oakville. The low fertility, well-drained soils combined with optimal sun exposure yield rich, complex flavors and impeccable fruit maturity. Our Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is blended from the finest blocks within To Kalon, as well as other select vineyards in the Oakville AVA.

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