Robert Mondavi’s To Kalon Reserves at Arch & Tower

Allen R. Balik

Last week I returned to Robert Mondavi’s Arch & Tower tasting room in downtown Napa to sample the new releases of their To Kalon Reserve wines. The selection included the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 Red Blend and 2022 Fumé Blanc. Each wine was paired with the culinary delights of Mondavi’s long time Executive Chef Jeff Mosher.

A delightful evening that began with “bubbles” in the form of the 2021 Mondavi Sparkling Wine as guests entered the downstairs lounge and continued upstairs with samplings of their 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Stags Leap and 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap coupled with a range of passed hors d’oeuvres. All of the evening’s festivities were under the watchful eyes of Director of Winemaking Kurtis Ogasawara and General Manager Lauren Larrabee.

Robert Mondavi’s Oakville winery was built in 1966 at To Kalon to celebrate the brand’s launch and is currently undergoing a complete renovation. All tastings and events have now switched to downtown Napa in the Historic Landmark Borrreo building built in 1877. This is Mondavi’s first offsite tasting facility and sits on the eastern shore of Napa River with breathtaking views offering a true sense of “Old Napa.”

Mondavi’s two primary grape sources are the Estate’s To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville and a prized vineyard in the neighboring Stags Leap AVA (American Viticultural Area). Two adjacent growing areas with very different terroir driven personalities. Kurtis feels strongly that his winemaking role is not just to produce quality wines, but far more important to him is, “To showcase a sense of place from vineyard to glass.”

Before looking at the To Kalon Reserve wines we sampled that night, a bit of background on the vintage and the vineyard will help lend a perspective on how special each of these wines is and where we can expect them to go. Jonathan Cristaldi is a noted wine writer and critic who commented in the September 13 Decanter Magazine’s Premium online post, “The 2021 vintage is shaping up as a Napa classic.”

Cristaldi tasted more than 500 wines for his full report and discussed the vintage for Napa Valley Cabernet as, “Delivering positively gorgeous wines that are concentrated, layered and framed by ripe, sweet and densely packed super-fine tannins with loads of savory qualities and vivid minerality. Oakville is a sweet spot in Napa Valley…[showcasing] concentration, balance and elegance.”

The October 15 Wine Spectator (appearing this month) feature story was, “The World’s Greatest Vineyards” and offered an in depth review by Mitch Frank of the top 10 terroirs of the world as determined by the publication’s senior editors covering growing areas across the globe. The selection process began with multiple nominations from each senior editor on the most highly regarded vineyards in their individual areas of coverage and continued with a rigorous selection process until the final 10 were determined.

To Kalon was included in this august group of 10 alongside other notable entries such as Burgundy’s Romanée-Conti and Montrachet, Portugal’s Quinta do Noval, Tuscany’s Masseto and Tignanello and Côte-Rôtie’s La Landonne. Inclusion in this group not only sets To Kalon Vineyard among the most treasured sites in the wine world, but also places Napa Valley, and Oakville in particular, shoulder-to-shoulder with the finest and most revered wine growing areas.

The Robert Mondavi 2021 Sparkling Wine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and a delightful start to the evening with a very fine mousse, bright citrus and pear flavors and pleasing acidity on the palate. This was followed by the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Stags Leap that also displayed bright acidity and luscious mouthfeel enhanced by aging in neutral French oak. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap displayed the AVA’s terroir-driven expression of elegance, appeal and balance for good aging potential.

Stepping into the To Kalon Reserves, I first sampled the 2022 Fumé Blanc (aka Sauvignon Blanc) paired to an exquisite array of Scottish salmon and big eye tuna Aburi sushi. The wine was barrel fermented (35% new French Oak) and contained 5% Semillon adding to the sensation of an intriguing satiny mouthfeel. A slight note of oak complemented the white peach and pink grapefruit notes on the nose that lead to depth and richness on the palate carrying forward the attributes on the nose with a long layered finish.

I then moved on to the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Reserve that (along with the 2021 Red Blend To Kalon Reserve to follow) displayed all of the vintage character mentioned by Cristaldi in his Decanter Premium post. The pairing here was a skewer station with choices of grilled beef bavette, grilled ratatouille and marinated grilled paneer each with its own dipping sauce.

Small additions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot added to the impression of redolent red and blue berries on the nose carrying forward to the palate where they were joined by seamless tannins, bright acidity and a rich mouthfeel. Here the boldness of Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon was tempered by concentrated sweet tannins, precise balance and an impeccable structure. All the superior qualities found in a young Bordeaux without its bracing youthful tannins. A true confluence of power, elegance and finesse in a wine that will reward further aging for years to come.

The final wine was the 2021 Red Blend To Kalon Reserve paired with a tasty preparation of roasted mushrooms and fennel on house-made focaccia. A very interesting pairing that brought out a bit of the Bordelais inspired earthiness in the wine. This offering was perhaps the pièce de resistance of the evening as it mirrored the To Kalon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in all of its expressions, but also added a broad dimension of breadth to the nose and palate.

A blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Cabernet Franc and 5% each of Petit Verdot and Malbec led to layers of complexity with each variety adding its own character to a masterful Bordeaux-style blend. Intense notes of cassis and black current, along with a hint of Asian spice from the Malbec was complemented by red and blue berries on the nose. The palate was rich with a velvety texture and multi-layered complexity framed by finely-grained tannins and welcome acidity adding to its impeccable structure. The layered finish seemed endless and beautifully carried on the breadth of the palate. One to enjoy today for its youthful charm and destined to age well with time in the bottle.

All of the wines served exhibited immaculate structure, balance and varietal character along with a strong sense of place and expression of terroir. Kudos to Kurtis for following his mantra and consistently delivering the personality of each variety and the expression of place from the vineyard to the glass. A masterful job on all fronts with each wine we enjoyed.