Robert Mondavi 'The Estates' Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
(Napa Valley, California) - [JD 94] [WS 93]

Winemaker Notes:

Vintage: Early spring rains in 2018 filled reservoirs and gave the vines ample water for the growing season. While bud break and flowering were a bit late, the season began under ideal weather conditions, creating excellent fruit set and expectations of a generous crop. Sunshine throughout the summer was tempered by the region’s cool breezes and fog, which ensured slow, even ripening for the perfect balance between retained freshness and maximum flavor development. The grapes for our Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon were picked between September 26 and October 26.

Vineyards: Robert Mondavi chose Oakville for the home of his winery in 1966 and planted Cabernet Sauvignon with the goal of creating wines that could stand in the company of the world’s finest. The grapes chosen for our Oakville District Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the other Bordeaux varietals which round out this delicious blend, are grown on lowfertility, well-drained soils with optimal sun exposure. These influences enable development of rich, complex flavors and impeccable fruit maturity.

Winemaking: The grapes were hand-harvested into small bins and carefully sorted in our gravity-flow cellar. The clusters were gently destemmed directly into traditional French oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation and extended maceration—a total of 27 days of wine to skin contact—maximizing the extraction of varietal character and complexity while keeping the tannins fleshy and supple. The new wine was drained and gently pressed into French-oak barrels (100% new) for malolactic fermentation, assuring seamless integration of fruit and oak. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over the 19 months of barrel aging. The wine was bottled in July of 2020.

Grape sourcing: 100% Napa Valley, 100% Oakville District, 97% To Kalon Vineyard®

Varietal composition: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec, 1% Merlot

Tasting Notes:

Already so expressive on the nose—ripe black plum and currant, molasses ginger cookie,vanilla, fennel and nutmeg.

Bold and intense on the palate, with more rich black plums and
berries, sweet licorice and hints of caraway seed. Bright, beautiful acidity gives the wine afreshness that makes it lovely now, but which will also keep it lovely for many years to come.

Ratings & Reviews:

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville is a step up and comes all from the To Kolan Vineyard in Oakville. It has a terrific array of cassis and caramelized cherry fruits intermixed with notes of flowers and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, light on its feet, and wonderfully balanced, it offers more precision, purity, and class than the base Napa release and will keep for 10-15 years." (8/5/21)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Rich and seductive in feel, with a lovely swath of loamy-edged steeped plum and blackberry compote flavors, backed with flashes of anise and sweet bay leaf. A loamy edge extends nicely in lockstep with the fruit on the finish. Textbook Oakville Cabernet. Best from 2022 through 2034."