Wine & Beer

Item Description

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.

98 Points
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 Inspiration" by The Righteous Brothers, which are appropriately a good fit for describing the 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.
Publisher's Pick, The Tasting Panel, December 2017

Item Special Note

PICK UP: Winning bidders will be able to pick up items at the close of auction, Friday October 18th.
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