Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Reserve(1999)

of flavors to the wine. Opulent dark fruit notes of cassis, black cherry and berry reflect grapes grown on the deep soils of the Oakville bench. Nuances of spice, minerals, licorice and violet weave through the highly extracted, velvety flavors. We handcrafted the wine with a long maceration, 17 months of aging in new French chateau barrels, gentle barrel-to-barrel racking, and bottling without filtration.

Vintage
The 1999 La Niña weather pattern gave Napa Valley one of the coolest vintages on record; then the weather took a sharp turn in late September with a weeklong, hot, low-humidity spell. We harvested 45% of our total grape harvest between September 27 and October 6. The grapes for our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon were among the last vineyards to ripen. Compared to the El Niño phenomenon in 1998, marked by dramatic changes in weather, this year experienced a milder growing season with average (33.6”) rainfall in Oakville. The cool temperatures caused a later-than-average budbreak and bloom, (April 13 and June 5, respectively) in our To Kalon Block Z Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard. July and August temperatures were below normal. Harvest began slowly in mid-September; then the low humidity heat spell advanced sugar maturity by two degrees in just a few days. We harvested grapes for our Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon throughout October, with an approximate bloom-to-harvest length of 129 days. Perfect ripening weather wrapped up the harvest on November 4.

Vineyard
We selected 82% of the blend from the Oakville AVA (American Viticultural Area), with 68% harvested from the historic To Kalon Vineyard. This vineyard has been continually planted to grapes for over 130 years, and for more than 50 years it has been the backbone of Robert Mondavi's finest Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The Oakville AVA grapes are planted on an alluvial bench where low-fertility, well-drained soils allow deep rooting and the development of complex flavors in the grapes. To enhance the ripe berry character of the wine, and complement the Oakville AVA fruit, we harvested 11% from the Stags Leap District AVA and 7% from the Carneros AVA. Grape Sourcing: Napa Valley

Fermentation & Aging
The vineyard lots of grapes selected as reserve candidates receive special attention throughout winemaking and aging. We hand-harvested the grapes into small bins and brought them to the winery for destemming and light crushing. After an average of 40 days extended skin contact to naturally soften tannins and enhance varietal character, the wine was gently pressed and transferred to 60 gallon, chateau-style French oak barrels (80% new oak). All the wine completed an extended, native malolactic fermentation in barrels for softness and depth. To achieve natural clarity, we gently racked the wine barrel-to-barrel six times during 17 months of aging. The wine was bottled without filtration to fully retain the rich, powerful aromas and flavors.    (hide)