Tasting Notes

The complexity, power and sophistication of fruit from our To Kalon site, considered a grand cru among Napa Valley vineyards, is on full display in this vineyard-designated Reserve, with sweet dark cherry and richly concentrated blackberry fruits, a savory, earthy complexity, and toasty oak, vanilla and spice which lingers through the luxuriously long finish.

Vineyard Notes

This is the fourth vintage of our To Kalon Vineyard-designated Reserve. When Robert Mondavi chose the To Kalon Vineyard in west Oakville 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. Our Reserve is blended from the finest blocks within To Kalon.

Production Notes

2014 started with worrisome, drought-like conditions, and many feared a parched, dry spring as in 2013. Refreshingly, spring rains came in February and into March providing water for the soils and filling reservoirs. The wine growing season will most be remembered for the August 24th earthquake that occurred just as harvest was commencing in the Napa Valley. The vines were not affected and harvest finished early, bringing in beautiful, healthy fruit. Our specially selected grapes for the Reserve cabernet sauvignon were picked between September 6th and October 8th.

Winemaker Notes

The grapes were hand-harvested with three stages of strict sorting: first, on the vine, then by individual clusters, and then again by single berry following de-stemming. The selected grapes went directly into traditional French oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation and extended maceration – a total of 35 days of wine to skin contact – maximizing the extraction of varietal character and complexity while keeping the tannins round and supple. The new wine was drained and gently pressed into 100% new French-oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, assuring seamless integration of fruit and oak. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over nineteen months of barrel aging. The wine was bottled in August of 2016.

Here’s what the wine press has to say.

98 Points, Publisher’s Pick - Tasting Panel - From the most coveted blocks within To Kalon–the treasured vineyard of Robert Mondavi that was the location of his winery home since 1966–this is the fourth vintage of the To Kalon–designated Reserve. Like a classic rock ‘n’ roll tune from that era, this wine ranks among the most revered and will continue to be memorable for decades. Among the top five songs of 1966 were “Cherish” by the Association and “Soul and Inspiration” by the Righteous Brothers, which are appropriately a good fit for describing To Kalon Vineyard. From its aromas of dark cherry and vanilla spice to its deeply-expressive notes of graphite, leather, plum, and earth, the velvet drapes across the palate from start to finish.”

95 Points - Robert Parker - “The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve To Kalon is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep ruby/purple-colored, notes of sweet creme de cassis, blackberry, charcoal and toast are present in the subtle but intense aromatics. The wine is full-bodied and classically crafted, building incrementally on the palate and displaying full-bodied richness, sweet tannin, and a potential to age for 25-30 + years. This is a beauty.”

95 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast - “This is made from a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous historic site, with 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. It startles in beauty and grace, with plenty of power and concentration. It’s a charismatic wine, bright in red currant and black cherry and a soft, supple texture that holds an underlying grip and toasty oak spice.”

94 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous - “The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a model of elegance and classicism. Dark, powerful and intense but also a touch linear in the style of the vintage, the 2014 Reserve hits all the right notes. Readers will have to give the 2014 at least a few years in bottle, but all the elements are in the right place for the wine to develop beautifully over the years and decades to come.”

93 Points - James Suckling - “This shows some valley floor dusty texture with blueberry and currant character. Medium body, fine and silky tannins and a fresh finish. Shows the To Kalon magic. Drink in 2019.”

93 Points - Decanter - “This vintage’s Mondavi Reserve leads with notes of red and black plum, vanilla, dried herbs and pencil shavings; the prelude to a supple, open-knit palate with a good core of juicy fruit and tangy acids. There is a touch of oak tannin which will need some time to integrate further.”

92 Points - Wine & Spirits Magazine - “Supple and heady with the richness of Oakville cabernet, this is a plush, espresso-scented red. Associate Editor Geoff Millar described it as an “oak rocket with dark fruit inside,” the oak propelling the fresh raspberry and blackberry flavor. Winemaker Genevieve Janssens selects this wine from the vineyard that surrounds the winery, working with a range of blocks for this Reserve, including vines dating to 1974.”

90 Points - James Laube, Wine Spectator - “Offers aromas of dusty berry, plum and currant, with crushed rock and graphite notes amid cedary oak and black licorice details and firm tannins.”