2009 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville (Red Wines / Cabernet Sauvignon)

2009 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

94pts(IWC)(78% To Kalon fruit; as of the 2011 vintage, this wine will say To Kalon on the label; blended with 8.3% cabernet franc and 3.5% petit verdot): Saturated red-ruby. Currant, graphite, wild herbs, cedar and sexy oak on the nose, lifted by a floral topnote. A broad and very elegant midweight (I would not have guessed that it was carrying 15.2% alcohol), with lively cassis and floral flavors burnished by mellow oak tones. Lovely fine-grained, long cabernet with excellent lift. Winemaker Janssens notes that Mondavi will have replanted half of their To Kalon vines over the 2005-2015 period, but they have kept their oldest sauvignon blanc vines, which date back to the 1940s. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar May/June 2012

94pts(WE) Editor's Choice Dry, smooth and distinguished. Shows Mondavi’s ability to get the grapes ripe in blackberries and currants, yet the fruit pulls back at the last moment, letting earthy, herbal notes take over, providing complexity and endless pleasure. The tannins are pure Oakville—sweet, soft and supple. Drink this elegant, balanced wine over the next six years. —S.H Wine Enthusiast June 2012 Buying Guide

. The Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon opens with intense aromas of juicy ripe plums, black cherries and blackberries. The flavors expand to include black tea, licorice and fresh bay leaf. Broad, ample tannins remind us that this is an Oakville wine and the experience concludes with a lengthy, persistent dark cherry finish

A Napa Valley Legend with a Pedigree:

2008
94pts Wine Advocate
91pts Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar
2007
91pts Wine Advocate
91pts Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar

2006:
93pts Wine & Spirits magazine
91pts Robert Parker Wine Advocate

2005 :
91pts Stephen Tanzer IWC

2004:
93 points - Wine Spectator "...maintains a sense of elegance and grace."
92 points - Stephen Tanzer "...dense and rich, with enticing flavors"
2003:
93 points - Robert Parker "...beautiful purity, texture, and depth"
90 points - Wine Enthusiast "a voluptuous style of Cab"
2002:
91 points - Robert Parker "Powerful, chocolatey, and heady..."
91 points - Wine Enthusiast "...the tannins are rich and creamy."
2001:
93 points - Wine Enthusiast "Quite dramatic..."

"If Cabernet Put Napa Valley on the Map...Then Oakville is Cab Central. Just a short list: Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Dalla Valle, Far Niente, Groth, and Harlan, as well as the vineyards called Martha’s Vineyard, To-Kalon, and Backus. What it all adds up to are wines that exhibit dark fruit such as plums, black cherry and blackberry; as well as some of the greatest names in the annals of the wine world’s modern history." Alan Goldfarb