I thought the common wisdom was that Mondavi’s wines had really slumped in the 1990s. Or was that just because it was the Parker era and they weren’t making Parker style wines? I wasn’t really following the wines after the 80s.
The 1991 as well as the 1994 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon remain stunning wines after close to 20 years of age. With the 1995 vintage, Robert Mondavi began using the To Kaylon vineyard designation for his Fume Blanc labeling it, “To Kalon I-Block Reserve,” in honor of the vines being planted 50 years ago by Martin Stelling.
With the next vintage, they released their first To Kalon vineyard designated wine, 1996 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard.
The next chapter of the winery did not fare as well. Several decisions made by some family members lessened the quality of the wine being produced, which hurt the brand in the marketplace.
Mondavi became a public company, which while on the surface, appeared to be a good business decision, forced the brand to spend more of their time on business while less of their energy was spent on what made them special in the first place, the wines of Robert Mondavi.
In 1993, Robert Mondavi Winery went public. While this might have been a good move, as it made it the family truly wealthy, it was also the beginning of the end for the Robert Mondavi Winery as we know it.
Tim Mondavi, the younger son was placed in charge of wine making. His desire to change the way the wines were made was not a success. The fruit was not picked at the same level of ripeness and because of that, the wines were not as rich, fleshy or interesting.
In interviews, Tim Mondavi was quoted as saying he was striving to produce wines that were easier to enjoy with meals. The market place did not react well and the brand continued to fall from favor.
I asked because, with hindsight, I think a lot of good wines were overlooked or dissed in the 90s and 2000s if they weren’t very ripe and extracted, and immediately accessible. It is interesting if the Mondavi cabs were in that category. There was also the notion that, after the company went public in 1993, there were financial reasons to reduce quality.
I never bought or tasted a lot of their wines, so I have no opinion. I’d just recalled that people thought they’d gone downhill after the IPO. But there are so many wonderful wines from that era that Parker didn’t appreciate.
These two crypt dwellers really showed out last night. The ‘82 was a touch fragile/volatile but still lovely. The ‘86 was stacked! It was delicious from first sip, and just kept going. I tried a small pour of the ‘86 about 4 hours after it had been opened and it was still going strong!
Not surprised that the 1986 Montelena showed well. I have never had a bad bottle of it, and always thought it was better than the '85, at least for my palate. Glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you taking the time to post the good and not so good from the crypt!
Back home and back to the bittersweet crypt. This was a bottle I gave my dad for Christmas many years ago. As long as I live I will never understand why he left so many delicious bottles unopened.
Started tonight with a wine from a different crypt. This was (I think) the last wine that I was given from the cellar of the late Thor Iverson. Sadly it was quite oxidized and not worth drinking. As Thor was a great fan of New Zealand I poured out the remains while turning counter clockwise.
