Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon - 90+ Wines Shiraz

For a gala dinner celebration while visiting son Alec in New Jersey, we dined at Matisse Restaurant on the Beach in Belmar, NJ and took two big reds BYOB to accompany dinner - Robert Mondavi Oakville Cab 2004 and 90+ Wines Shiraz. 

Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

From the collection of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon selections, the Oakville (appellation) label represents the Oakville AVA or Appellation - one of seventeen in Napa Valley. Located in the heart of Napa Valley the AVA (Agricultural Viticultural Area) extends the width of Napa Valley nestled between the Vaca Mountains to the East and the Mayacamas Range to the west, rising from the valley floor to an elevation of 600 feet.

Oakville is home to some of the premier producers of Bordeaux varietals with Cabernet Sauvignon being predominant as it is perfectly suited to the distinctive Oakville terroir - that combination of soil and micro-climate - just the right number hot sunny days and modest amounts of moisture at the right times of the season. Oakville is home to all the traditional Bordeaux varietals in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon  - Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot as well as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc white wine grapes.


Oakville is also home to many of the most storied, renouned and famous growers and producers of Cabernet Sauginon wines as shown on the interactive map of Oakville Appellation producers and growers and list of Appellation Members.

 The Mondavi Oakville may represent the best QPR - Quality to Price Ratio in the Mondavi line as it often equals or beats the Reserve flagship label for a fraction of the price. While almost double the price of the Estate Napa Cab, the Oakville consistently is distinctive and represents the best that the appellation has to offer in this price range and is generally available based on production of over 10,000 bottles. In good years, Mondavi does a great job obtaining this quality in such a quantity production.

The 2004 presented dark garnet ruby red color, medium to full firm body with intense concentrated flavors of sweet ripe currant and blackberry, dusty herb, and cedary oak with hints of anise and dark mocha on the sharp moderate tannin lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=224276 

http://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/ 

Aged Napa Cabs - Mondavi Reserve - Rubissow-Sargent

Aged Napa Valley Cabernets - Robert Mondavi Reserve 1992 - 1993 and Rubissow-Sargent Mt Veeder 1996

For a grilled sirloin steak dinner Bill & Beth showed up with a Robert Mondavi Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1993, so we trolled the cellar and pulled out a 1992 for a mini-vertical tasting. We'd already set aside a Rubissow-Sargent Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 1996 which provided a good comparison tasting to the similarly aged Napa Cabs.

For an starter course Linda prepared grilled lobster tail medallions which we served with Penn Shore Lake Erie Diamond - a semi sweet varietal wine from the southeastern shore of Lake Erie at the New York Pennsylvania border appellation. This was a perfect complement pairing to the hearty lobster - standing up to the full bodied, chewy unctuous tangy Diamond with its essence and layers of peach, clove, vanilla, hints of honey, cinnamon and tangy citrus.  

We discovered and purchased this wine at the winery during our recent tour of the Lake Erie Appellation and featured the Penn Shore Diamond in a recent wine tasting.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1441210

We had already pulled and decanted the Rubissow-Sargent to commemorate our discovery with Bill and Beth, Eric & Cathy, and Jan & Bill during our winery visit on Mt Veeder during our Napa Valley Wine Experience last year.

To finish we open a  Herbert Triebaumer Ruster Ausbruch, Rust, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland,  Austria 1996/87. "Ruster" is the town where the grapes are grown in the appellation of Rust, while “Ausbruch” describes the method of selecting and picking the most perfectly shriveled & botrytized grapes. While at one time this was probably butter colored, this exhibited a bright reddish rust weak tea color with a medium body.  Gone are the layers of peach and apricot that have given way to smoke, quince, honey and tangy lemons with aromas of vanilla. 

RM 85 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1455246

Rubissow Sargent Napa Valley Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 1996

This wine pays homage to the early years of Tony Sargent and George Rubissow producing hand crafted Bordeaux varietal wines from their mountaintop vineyard at the south end of Napa Mt Veeder. At sixteen years of age, this shows the aging potential of these early releases as this wine is still holding up albeit approaching the end of its prime drinking window.

Dark garnet and purple color, this was medium bodied with pleasant black cherry and black berry fruit aromas, and flavors with a layer of kirsch, anise, tobacco, leather and hint of cedar on a moderate tannin finish.

RM 86 points.

http://www.rubissowwines.com/

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=5125


Robert Mondavi Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1992 and 1993

Bills note from Cellartracker - "Medium garnet color, very restrained nose. Took about two hours for this to open up. Upon popping the cork, this showed signs of being well past prime. Seemed carmelized and thin although the color showed no bricking. Between 90 and 120 minutes, this opened to reveal anise, mocha and graphite and some remaining tannins. Nicely complemented by grilled marinated sirloin with peas and mushrooms and herbed rice with Rick and Linda. Rick provided a 1992 Mondavi Reserve, creating a mini vertical tasting opportunity. Fascinating experience.

The '92 was the better wine, opening earlier with more depth and complexity than the '93 and a deep indigo color. Still not much on the nose. However, as the two opened over a 2 hour period, it was very interesting to see the wines come together in similarity and style. The common heritage became quite evident."


My notes - These two aged vintage cabs both are starting to show their age almost begrudgingly revealing the subdued fruits of modest vintages. They both were a bit closed and tight tasting more like aged left bank Bordeaux than vibrant Napa cabs. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, slightly astringent cherry fruit give way to weak tea, tobacco, leather and graphite. Both were decanted and aerated on opening. The '92 was more full and expressive early on opening, with brighter fruit, albeit subdued, while the '93 was a bit thinner, taking over an hour to reveal its fruit at which time it also showed a layer of anise with hints of mocha and a soft floral essence on the finish.

92 - RM 86 points. 93 - RM 85 points.   


93 - https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=97829

93 - https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=8821 

My earlier notes on the 1992 reveal a rather short drinking window, from 3/28/2010 - rated 89 points at that time: Wow, I probably drank most of this case of this Reserve too young!, like I did too many of my 80's decade Bordeaux'. For a long time, this was rather closed and tight, only to now open up to truly reveal its complex, full bodied dark cherry, black berry fruits and long nicely integrated tannin finish. Slightly astringent on opening but softened over time. Needs decanting for aeration and to collect the sediment

This was the second to last bottle of a case purchased upon release. It'll be drinkable for another year or so but will be nearing the end of its drinking window by then.

Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

It's easy to get confused by all the labels of a large brand selection from the likes of Mondavi. Of course their top end Reserve sets itself apart by its $100 price point. But notable is their Oakville designate select Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. While a more expensive higher price point than the Coastal and general Napa Valley (not Oakville designated) labels, this may provide one of the higher QPR - Quality to Price ratios in the family.

As soon as we opened this seven year old 2004 vintage bottle, we were blown away by the full expressive fragrances of floral and fruits bursting from the bottle. The fruit flavors were equally robust and vibrant. This wine has much life left and may benefit from a few years more of cellaring. 

Dark inky color - full body and big full forward fruit - blackberry, black currant and cassis give way to a subtle but lingering slightly sweet caramel and vanilla with hint of subtle mocha, with a layer of alcohol almost bourbon-like taste  on a moderate tannin oak finish.

This was great simply with biscuits and artisan cheeses.
RM 91 points.