Robert Mondavi Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – The Cream of the Crop

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot and 1% Malbec from To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville District, Napa Valley, California.

SRP of $45 and available for as low as $35. Sample submitted for review. 8,333 cases produced.

From the bottle:

“Robert Mondavi taught me that great wine can only come from great vineyards, and Oakville has been the cradle of great Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for more than 130 years. Robert Mondavi chose these vineyards with the goal of creating wines that could stand in the company of the world’s finest, and I am proud to continue that tradition.

15.0% Alcohol”

Just as we did last year, this year we will be highlighting a few wines beyond our typical Saturday Splurge price range. The reason, as we explained in our post Give Them What They Want, is simple — the whole idea behind gift giving is to give the other person what they want. And for whatever reason there are many people that want expensive wine (not everyone is a Reverse Wine Snob, gasp!). At the same time, when you’re spending a good chunk of money on a single bottle of wine as a gift, you really want to make sure it is a good one! So over the next few weeks we’ll highlight a handful of worthy options. Up first comes a wine from the pride and joy of Mr. Robert Mondavi himself: To Kalon vineyard in the Oakville District of Napa Valley.

The 2010 Robert Mondavi Winery Oakville District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignonbegins with pleasant aromas of plum, blackberry and lots of vanilla. The medium to full-bodied wine tastes delicious with lots of rich, tart, dark fruit and a hefty dose of oak. This is still a fairly young wine as it spent about 2 years in mostly new French oak so it will only get better from here. (And if you drink it now give it a good decant first.) A smooth texture with fine tannins lead into the dry, vanilla soaked finish which also features more rich fruit and lingering chocolate notes at the very end.

Also check out our review of the regular Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet which can be had for $18 at Costco.

Buy this wine online from our featured sponsor Marketview Liquor or see a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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