Power Tasting began publication at the beginning of 2015 and have been reviewing wineries ever since. So how come we are just getting around to writing about Robert Mondavi (www.robertmondaviwinery.com) now? It’s because Mondavi feels like it has always been there and always will be. It’s as much as part of Napa Valley as Howell Mountain or the Napa River.
Robert Mondavi, the man, was synonymous with Napa Valley during his lifetime and has achieved legendary status since his death in 2008. Robert Mondavi, the winery, has turned out wines of the highest quality for so long that it’s easy to forget that the rating organizations accord them high 90’s every year. Robert Mondavi is wonderful, but being wonderful for so long robs it of trendiness.
For those of us who enjoy going wine tasting, the same can be said about visiting the Robert Mondavi winery in Oakville. We’ve been visiting there for so long we tend to understate how special it is. Mr. Mondavi himself dedicated himself to what he called the good life, which included art and food, as well as wine. All these are in evidence from the moment you pull up to the winery. The emblematic arch at the entrance combines respect for California’s Spanish past with an understated elegance that is still contemporary after more than 50 years.
Also in evidence at the entrance and around the grounds are statuary and other artworks from the Mondavi family’s collection. Of course, it is possible to taste wine without works of art, but it is so much more enjoyable to combine them.
The winery is laid out in the form of a V, opening to vistas of vineyards and the Mayacamas mountains. On the left is the wing for those who are interested in tours and tastings of Mondavi’s widely available wines. On the right are a tasting room for their wine club members, the gift shop and the To Kalon Room, where Mondavi’s most exclusive wines are available for tasting. [To Kalon is the name of Mondavi’s top vineyard, where the grapes for their finest Cabernet Sauvignon and Fumé Blanc are grown.] Tastings in this latter room are not inexpensive, but there is a lot to be said for being offered a vertical of the Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, as we were recently.
In the years at the beginning of Northern California’s rise to wine-making eminence, Mondavi’s Fumé Blanc was the benchmark for California white wines. While the quality has not diminished, it is probably Cabernet Sauvignon for which they are best known today. Less well renowned are their Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Not every wine is available at all times in each tasting room, but we have found that a polite request often results in finding a bottle beneath the bar.
Finally, a few words about the gift shop. Normally, we avoid shopping at wineries; there are only so many coasters and refrigerator magnets anyone needs. But the items at this winery reinforce Mr. Mondavi’s maxims about the good life. Simply put, they sell lovely things, from pottery to tableware to books. And wine, of course. The shop is especially pretty at Christmastime, when the decorations and holiday goods only add to the pleasure of a visit to this winery, a gem in Wine Country’s diadem.