Very complex and changing all the time with red fruit, tile, blackberries and a hint of black truffle. Full-bodied, firm and chewy with focus and reality. Firm and driven with compact and super fine tannins.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: Composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Reserve features a deep garnet-purple color and wonderfully expressive nose of crème de cassis, preserved plums and black forest cake with hints of cigar boxes, aniseed, dark chocolate and forest floor. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated in the mouth, the ripe, opulent black fruit is well supported by velvety tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and spicy.
- Vinous: Mondavi’s Cabernet Sauvignon The Reserve To Kalon Vineyard is fabulous. Rich, powerful and voluptuous, the 2015 oozes with class from the very first taste. The flavors are deep, dark and boldly sketched in this sumptuous, beautifully resonant Cabernet. The tannins will need time to soften, but I can’t imagine readers opening bottles anytime soon. The 2015 Reserve is one of the very finest wines I have tasted from Robert Mondavi Winery. I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Robert Mondavi Winery on my most recent visit. Director of Winemaking Geneviève Janssens has two talented protégés on her team in Megan Schofield, who looks after the whites and Pinots, and Joe Harden, who is responsible for the Cabernets. While all the wines I tasted were terrific, the Cabernets show the most promise and potential.
Producer Information
Robert Mondavi Winery is one of the most prominent wine producers in Napa Valley. Founded in 1966 by Robert Mondavi himself, the company is widely credited with kickstarting the modern era of California’s wine industry. Robert Mondavi Winery makes a range of wines, from the value-driven Woodbridge and Private Selection labels to collectable, age-worthy wines from Napa Valley’s famed To Kalon vineyard. Mondavi founded the winery after a less-than-amicable split from his family’s business, Charles Krug. His stated aim was to swap quantity for quality, believing that good wine could be made in the valley. To Kalon, originally planted in 1868, became the epicentre of his estate, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc (often labeled Fumé Blanc in California) providing the backbone of the Mondavi range. Over the years, Mondavi has employed some of Napa’s most famous winemakers, including Mike Grgich (of Chateau Montelena), Warren Winiarski (of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars) and Zelma Long (of Simi Winery). Today the winery makes wines from a host of grape varieties, including Merlot, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Moscato. The range spans vineyards throughout Napa, including sites in Carneros and Stags Leap. Mondavi’s Private Selection wines fall under the sizeable Central Coast appellation, and Woodbridge wines are labelled under the generic California appellation, although many of the vineyards are located in Lodi. One of Mondavi’s most high-profile contributions to Californian winemaking came via a collaboration with Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton Rothschild. Opus One, the resulting wine, first appeared in 1980, and has gone on to become one of California’s more iconic Cabernet Sauvignon wines, netting both high praise and high prices. Although Opus One is now a separate entity to Robert Mondavi Winery, it still bears Mondavi’s silhouette on the bottle. The Robert Mondavi brand was sold to beverage giant Constellation Brands in 2004, and Mondavi went on to found Continuum Estate with his son Tim and daughter Marcia. Mondavi passed away in 2008 at the age of 94.
