“A trailblazer who subscribed to the ‘high-tide raises all ships’ philosophy, Mondavi didn’t just set out on his own but encouraged many other vintners to venture to the area, effectively planting the seed that would end up growing into more than 500 wineries. Despite the competition, Robert Mondavi Winery has stood alone by making some of the best Cabernet Sauvignons in the world.” - Maxim

Today we offer this one more time, because YAY were able to get more and with a new 98 Point Score…. with something TRULY EXTRAORDINARY. Strap in for a little history less, Ops.

First of all, it’s no coincidence that the bottle you’re looking at is nearly identical to these.

In 1966, a modest man named Robert Mondavi founded a winery in Napa Valley, bound to change the course of American winemaking. 60 vintages later, per the San Francisco Chronicle, “Robert Mondavi has set the bar for all…”

They continue, “the renovation of Napa Valley’s famous Robert Mondavi Winery, which reopened this week after a three-year closure and renovation, and which likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars, is the most exhaustive, expensive, and beautiful transformation Wine Country has ever seen.”

To commemorate this momentous celebration, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris, where the quiet California wine revolution spearheaded by Mondavi shocked first the French, and then the entire world, the winery blended their two legacy sites to release, from the incomparable 2023 harvest, a very small batch of extremely special 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

This wine is not about price, it’s about PRIDE. The $105 you pay is a small price for the PRIZE of owning a part of history, celebrating one of the most renowned wine regions in the world.

In equal proportions, it combines the powerful finesse of To Kalon, arguably the most famous site in not just Oakville but the entire Napa Valley, with the filigreed tannins of Wappo Hill, where Robert Mondavi used to live, in the hillside tenderloin of Stags Leap District. While this presents an unfair advantage over other top Cabernets of the known universe, they HAD TO pull all stops to properly remind everyone that without Robert Mondavi, Napa Valley as we know it today would not be.

Per Maxim, “The result is a sense of humanity in every bottle, capturing not just a vintage but the hands and instincts that brought it to life. For those looking to experience that themselves, there’s no better way than to try the Robert Mondavi Winery 60th Anniversary Commemorative Cabernet…”

Very little was made. No idea how we got our hands on this one, we’re still scratching our heads.

98 Points - Decanter - “This wine commemorates the reopening of Robert Mondavi Winery, drawing from To Kalon Vineyard and the historic Wappo Hill. The To Kalon components derive from a mix of established and newly replanted blocks, including parcels south of Oakville Grade now delivering fourth-leaf fruit, alongside sections spanning north to south across the property. The Stags Leap fruit comes from some of Ogasawara’s favourite blocks. It bursts from the glass with classic Oakville signatures of dark black fruit, garrigue, mint and tobacco. On the palate, savoury olive tapenade emerges alongside ironstone minerality and a crushed-cocoa-nib nuance. The tannins marry Oakville suaveness with Stags Leap power, mineral-laced and assertive, finishing with both grace and muscularity. It shows beautifully into the second and third day, gaining weight as the fruit deepens and takes on a more earth-driven intensity – a clear signal of its capacity to cellar for decades to come. Winemaker Kurtis Ogasawara sought to honour the Mondavi legacy by blending the two sites, which has never been done before. Aged for 20 months in 36% new French oak, the wine is presented with a label that nods to the 1960s-era design, subtly incorporating elements of the newly reopened winery (2026). The lightweight, dark antique-green glass bottle and shorter cork further echo those debut bottlings, some of which may still rest in well-stocked cellars.”

96 Points – James Suckling “A terrific, one-time bottling of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from two distinct vineyards owned by Robert Mondavi. Deep and delicious, with black cherry, blackberry, creme de cassis and dark chocolate notes wrapped in a firm, polished texture and impressively rich, fine-grained tannins.”