Ericsson

9.4

Luce from ‘97, back when Frescobaldi and Mondavi began their collaboration with this signature Sangiovese Merlot blend. Shows greats signs against the past 26 years. Brickish color. The nose shows plum, chocolate, leather, damp fall tree leaves and wet wood. The wine gently surrounds the palate with hints of preserved black fruit (figs and plum). Follows with a dry mouthfeel, medium plus body, dissipating tannins, low but present acidity and alcohol; lingering earthy finish. In my cellar for a few years and always had my doubts but the wine still holds, keeping any longer is risky… — 6 months ago

Jeremiah A. Flores

9.5

Frescobaldi meets Mondavi. 2012 vintage consumed 2015. Tannins present almost immediately. Love the mouth feel, subtle fruit meets cedar notes. 50/50 Merlot/Sangiovese — 9 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.1

I've missed posting a couple of wines along the way. Currently in Firenze... this is a typical grocery store Brunello. Like 22 Eu, 26$. This would be I'd say a $40 Brunello in US. So I'll rate ignoring price.

It's a bit on the medium-bodied side, despite being 2011, no sign of age in color. Needs more time. The nose is interesting for me in that it's very barnyard. Wife is put off lol. Finish is nice and with light tannins.

It's ok. It's like when I buy a 16-20 dollar bottle quickly for pizza night, these guys get a decent Brunello. Not fair!!! But then again, I have unlimited Air Conditioning, which is another story.

Glad to be in Florence, people in Venice were worse than I remember.

91 points — 7 years ago

Ryan M

9.2

Who likes tannins! Tannins are very overpowering at first but then mend themselves into a velvety coat on the tongue. Haven't had much Mondavi but this is pleasant. Lots of oak, flower box, and plums. Chalky and earthy. Think of a thick bold Pinot noir but without the spice and less mud. Opening up after an hour in my new Zwiesel Burgundy glasses.

Surprised to learn some of the grapes are from To Kalon!! Haven't had a good Oakville #napacab in a while and this is a delight for $30.

•VINEYARDS• Fruit for our Napa Valley Cabernet includes two of the valley’s most renowned sub-appellations. Twenty-six percent is from our historic To Kalon vineyard in Oakville located on the well-drained alluvial bench surrounding the winery. An additional 10% comes from our Wappo Hill Vineyard in the Stag’s Leap district. The varying mesoclimates and soils of these two vineyards elicit a wonderfully concentrated, expressive, and classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and are combined with fruit from a number of the area’s finest vineyards for the perfect expression of the region. Appellation: Napa Valley Grape Sourcing: Napa Valley (26% To Kalon Vineyard, 10% Wappo Hill Vineyard)
•WINEMAKING• The grapes were hand harvested into small bins and carefully sorted in our gravity-flow cellar. The clusters were gently de-stemmed directly into traditional oak tanks for cold soak, fermentation and extended maceration-a total of 22 days of wine to skin contact--maximizing the extraction of varietal character and complexity while keeping the tannins fleshy and supple. The new wine was drained and gently pressed into French oak barrels (17% new) for malolactic fermentation, assuring seamless integration of fruit and oak. The final blend was assembled through repeated tasting trials over the 17 months of barrel aging, and bottled in June of 2015. — 7 years ago

Marc L.

9.1

Sweet dark cherry with a light hint of cranberry, with a slightly acidic and stemmy tannins (mid) finish. $26 — 7 years ago

Jon Tringale

8.9

Super Tuscan with Sangiovese and Merlot. Leather on the nose followed by black fruit on the taste. Medium to strong complexity on the mouth feel and finish. I'd definitely order it again. — 7 years ago