Robert Mondavi Winery 60th Anniversary Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

This wine commemorates the reopening of Robert Mondavi Winery, drawing from To Kalon Vineyard and the historic Wappo Hill. The To Kalon components derive from a mix of established and newly replanted blocks, including parcels south of Oakville Grade now delivering fourth-leaf fruit, alongside sections spanning north to south across the property. The Stags Leap fruit comes from some of Ogasawara’s favourite blocks. It bursts from the glass with classic Oakville signatures of dark black fruit, garrigue, mint and tobacco. On the palate, savoury olive tapenade emerges alongside ironstone minerality and a crushed-cocoa-nib nuance. The tannins marry Oakville suaveness with Stags Leap power, mineral-laced and assertive, finishing with both grace and muscularity. It shows beautifully into the second and third day, gaining weight as the fruit deepens and takes on a more earth-driven intensity – a clear signal of its capacity to cellar for decades to come. Winemaker Kurtis Ogasawara sought to honour the Mondavi legacy by blending the two sites, which has never been done before. Aged for 20 months in 36% new French oak, the wine is presented with a label that nods to the 1960s-era design, subtly incorporating elements of the newly reopened winery (2026). The lightweight, dark antique-green glass bottle and shorter cork further echo those debut bottlings, some of which may still rest in well-stocked cellars.