Reserve 50 Anniversary To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Another young one. Chocolate brownie and s’mores, with a coffee marshmallow. Rich vanilla bean creeps in, and warm plum jam that mysteriouslypowders atop pumpkin bread full of the usual spices aromatically. Grape-y, with grainy tannins, first skin of a dark red apple, red incense, cherry skins, lipstick with crispy beef and black soils. The final notes boast oak and blackberry, with cinnamon stick. The middle and finish give you an idea of the depth and breadth that the first aromas belie. #ToKalon #mondavi #robertmondavi #Napa #napavalley2013 #singlevineyard #Oakville #reserve #cabernetday #californiacab #cab

ToKalon and Scrabble! Happy Thursday

Weston hosted Friday group today and was it definitely a can’t miss tasting. Wow! Absolutely knocked it out of the park with heavy hitter after heavy hitter. Similar to Wednesday group, all wines are tasted blind.

For me, I picked up traces of (what I thought) was American oak on the nose. I don’t think any is used here, so maybe there was just a bigger presence of Mexican vanilla and coconut from the oak usage. Plethora of dark fruit on the palate...probably the most accessible of the 5 cabs.

I am not a big Robert Mondavi fan, but this 50 anniversary 2013 vintage is one of those exceptions. Very smooth finish yet balance body.

Grabbed this from the wine list at Chops Grille, great price at $128.00 ($101.00 with drinks package) a bottle. Deep purplish ruby red. Iron on the attack of the nose when the wine was cold, needed to warm up. Layered of vanilla, cinnamon, black fruits, dark red berries and a touch floral. Heavy tannins (8.5/10) with a full body. Dark palate with raspberries, black cherries, herbs and spices. Crushed dark gravel in the long finish. Needs a long decant or a year or two in bottle to open up. Drink from 2018 till 2032.

Another heavy hitter from a lineup spanning four decades of Napa Cabs. The 2013 Robert Mondavi To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Cabernet is still quite primary. It's opaque, with a bold magenta rim. Structurally, more opulent than its predecessors in this tasting—the core furnished with juicy black fruit, ripe, glossy tannins and a hint of how it will evolve—a palate pleasing melange of anise, mocha, Madagascar vanilla, black pepper, and savory tones. There is more everything packed into it, like an overcrowded suitcase, something this writer knows about.

95+ pts.

This outstanding wine is a great homage to the visionary Robert Mondavi with its polished tannins, well-integrated oak and it incrementally increase in flavors on the palate that finishes with a lifted, pristine breath-taking finish. But it will need time!

Amazingly delicious. Bright dark berry fruit with firmness and acidity to make this a tantalizing wine to enjoy over the next 20 years.

Dinner Chez Nous is hard to beat (in my humble opinion 😂😂).

Tonight we’re going with a classic: filet mignon and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s no wonder this pair works so well.

The wine is dry and offers velveteen tannins, high alcohol, medium acidity, and concentrated black fruit to counterbalance.

This wine is deep ruby and offers blackberry, black cherry, plum, also violet, black olive, cedar, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, and tobacco notes.

Cheers to delicious food and wine complements!!