2017 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon The Reserve To Kalon Vineyard Oakville Napa Valley 750 ml

For years, the crowning achievement of Robert Mondavi Winery has been the To Kalon Vineyard Reserve. Described by Wine Spectator as a classic example of Cabernet’s “iron fist in velvet glove,” it’s drawn from the most historic portion of Napa’s most famous vineyard.

The iconic To Kalon Vineyard was originally planted by H.W. Crabb, who was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, on the first day of 1828. Twenty-five years later, H.W. moved west and settled in California. 

Most easterners moving west were in search of gold. But after landing in Napa Valley in 1865, Crabb became far more interested in growing grapes. He purchased land outside of Oakville, close to the Napa River, and at first, he grew table grapes. Then, in 1872, he planted a vineyard, built a winery, and named his property “To-Kalon”—Greek for “the highest beauty.”

Crabb planted 400 different varieties on his Oakville property, hoping to determine which were best suited to the gravelly, sandy soils. While To-Kalon Zinfandel won an award at the San Francisco Midwinter Fair of 1894 and the gold medal at the Alaska-Yukon Exposition of 1909, over time it became evident that the site was particularly well-suited to growing Bordeaux varieties, most specifically Cabernet Sauvignon.

H.W. Crabb suffered a stroke and died in 1899. His estate was owned by the E.W. Churchill family until 1943, when Martin Stelling bought it. Eventually, the property dropped into the hands of an equally brilliant winegrowing pioneer—his name was Robert Mondavi.

This is one of Napa Valley’s most iconic wines, and one we haven’t offered for five vintages—to the disappointment of the serious California collectors who cellar every vintage of Mondavi’s timeless wine alongside their Insignias, Diamond Creeks, and BV George De Latours. We know these members, who gave our last vintage a flawless five-out-of-five rating, will be thrilled that Mondavi’s To Kalon Reserve is back, and that the 2017 vintage in Oakville gave birth to a beautiful edition. 

This Robert Mondavi To Kalon Vineyard Reserve is absolutely majestic. Dark and dense ruby in color, it’s bursting with aromas of dark plum, black cherry, and currant, all accented by tobacco, mint, and crushed lilacs and laced with new-wood cedar. Explosive on the attack, massively concentrated yet velour-like in texture, the mouthfeel is gifted with black-fruit preserves splashed with crème de cassis. It’s a Cabernet of great richness and exquisite purity, finishing with perfectly resolved if sturdy tannins that argue for a two-decade rest in the coolest of cellars.