TASTING NOTES:
A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Reserve opens with beautifully fragrant kirsch, wilted roses, candied violets and dried Provence herbs notes over a core of wild blueberries, red and black currants and mulberries plus wafts of tobacco leaf and cardamom. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with perfumed, crunchy black fruits framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and finishes long and earthy.
-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 pts
The flagship 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a more long-term effort yet is loaded with potential. Coming all from Mondavi’s To Kalon holdings and seeing an extended maceration and 18 months in new oak, its deep purple color is followed by rocking notes of blackberries, black cherries, smoke tobacco, black licorice, and crushed rocks. With a terrific sense of minerality, subtle background oak, full body, and impeccable balance, hide bottles for 4-5 years and this beauty will cruise for 3 decades or so.
-James Suckling, 96 pts
Solidly built, featuring a core of cassis, bitter cherry and plum reduction notes, laced up with racy savory, iron and singed cedar accents. Takes a restrained approach, showing subtle energy, but the fruit is sneakily long and the finish nicely grounded. Best from 2021 through 2032.
-Wine Spectator, 93 pts
This is a hearty, bold and brawny red wine from the famous site, blended with 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Cola, sassafras, earth and leather highlight a dense core of firm tannin and toasted oak, begging for more time in the bottle. Enjoy best between 2026–2031.
-Wine Enthusiast, 91 pts
WINEMAKER'S NOTE:
Flavors of rich black berries and black plum, dried herb complexity, sweet oak spices, vanilla bean, and toasted almonds unfold in mesmerizing layers, sending a wave of deliciously intense complexity across the palate in a tasty expression of power and elegance.
