Mondavi Oakville Cabernet

Description

It is an honor to work in Oakville for the winery that really put this appellation on the map. Since the moment Robert Mondavi chose Oakville for his vineyards and winery, his vision of gracious living and world-class winemaking has extended all the way down into its soils. – Genevieve Janssens – Director of WinemakingDescriptors Deep, enticing wild berry and black currant fruit weaves harmoniously with layers of fragrant tobacco leaf, forest floor and toast in a complex ribbon of flavor that flows into a deliciously long finish in this powerful yet refined taste of Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon.Vintage Another record harvest, 2013 saw consistently beautiful weather leading to optimal ripeness in what is being called an epic year. There was almost no rainfall from January through March, bringing an earlier than usual budbreak. April provided a few small rainstorms to quench the vines, and warm weather followed. With just one heat spike in late June and early July, the growing season provided weather for optimal flavor development in the grapes resulting in an early and healthy harvestVineyards When Robert Mondavi chose the To Kalon Vineyard as the home for his new winery, in 1966, he remarked It was a vineyard with a distinguished history and a magical nature. Ideal soils, sunlight, and rainto 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. The To Kalon Vineyard lies on prime benchland in west Oakville. The low fertility, well-drained soils and optimal sun exposure yield rich, complex flavors and impeccable fruit maturity.Winemaking The grapes were hand-harvested into small bins and carefully sorted in our gravity-flow cellar. The clusters were gently destemmed directly into traditional French oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation and extended macerationa total of 27 days of wine to skin contactmaximizing the extraction of varietal character and complexity while keeping the tannins fleshy and supple. The new wine was drained and gently pressed into 72% new French-oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, assuring seamless integration of fruit and oak. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over the 22 months of barrel aging. The wine was bottled in August of 2015. – Robert Mondavi Winery