2006 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve***
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Tasting notes
(15.5% alcohol; 91% To Kalon): Dark ruby-red. Exotic balsamic scents as well as a roasted fruit quality on the nose. Fat, sweet and balsamic but in a distinctly chunky style. Seems a bit crude for this bottling, with the chewy, drying tannins currently overwhelming the fruit. Not my favorite style.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Blackish purple. Sweet, porty nose. Very alcoholic and then pretty acrid on the finish. A bit of an assault rather than a pleasure on the palate. Drying finish. This would make an impact if a thimbleful were drunk in a bar, but I just can’t imagine it on the dinner table. Very flashy winemaking and I’m probably being a bit mean with my score. If you like this style, you will love this wine. Blind guess: valley. Revealed location: valley. (JR)
(includes 8% cabernet franc) Good deep ruby-red. Currant, chocolate and tobacco on the nose. Silky, layered and lush, with a seamless texture to the full-bodied flavors of plum, currant and lead-pencil minerality. Has plenty of plump mid-palate fruit to support the big but thoroughly ripe tannins, which reach the front teeth. Mostly from To-Kalon fruit, the rest from nearby vines also in Oakville. Winemaker Janssens compared this wine to the 1995. This is sweet and approachable, whereas the 2005 version was young and aggressive at the same stage.
The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve offers a beautiful perfume of violets, black currants, and subtle oak, lead pencil shavings, and spice characteristics. This full-bodied, creamy textured Cabernet possesses superb concentration, lovely purity, and a multilayered mouthfeel. It should drink well for two decades or more. Tel. (707) 226-1395
About the producer
Robert Mondavi is a name known the world over. The ambitious businessman created his eponymous winery in 1966 to produce world-class wines in Napa, pioneering quality winemaking and becoming a champion for the region.