Oct 11 2009
Mastering Napa at the Mondavi Winery
Without doubt Napa Valley is THE place for Cabernet Sauvignon in the US, within this, the Mondavi Winery is the bench mark, not only when it comes to history and Cabernets with some age but also setting a trend and progress.
It was Mark de Vere Master of Wine who was our guide for the day at the Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville.
Robert Mondavi could be probably called the father of modern Californian wines. He certainly put California on the wine map, mainly with his Cabernet Sauvignons. The Robert Mondavi and the joint venture by Robert Mondavi and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild; Opus One is owned by Constellation today, one of the leading global brands and marketers of wine and other beverages.
Wine tourism as it suppose to be, a visit to Napa without visiting the Mondavi winery would not be complete. Mark recommended to see the vineyards as well. He was pointing out in particular the To Kalon where some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon (and Sauvignon Blanc) fruit is gathered. To Kalon means in Ancient Greek, the highest, upmost beauty. Some of the old vines here do not need irrigation as their root system is penetrating very deep into the sub soil.
The newly planted slopes should not have a greater angle then 5° as there is generally speaking enough sun shine, we have to consider Napa is on the same latitude as Sicily. Some of the older plantings might have a greater exposure to sun, as just opposite of the Mondavi Winery on the other side of the road. On the bench, the foothills, the soil is rather washed down, good drainage and during the spring it holds the water, the leafs turn to the sun if they have water but if there are under stress they turn away. The AVA is not consistent; Oakville (bright red soil) there had to be somewhere a border drawn between Oakville and Rutherford but possibly not the best one if you consider topography. Napa is an open valley, South-East and North West, there are plenty of sunny days and there is usually a morning and evening sun. The sun is rather late and then somewhere in the middle of the day also fog is coming thru, which provides a rather cool climate. During great heat the flowerings stops, shutters. Open clusters are good, during flowering not much heat is needed, rather coolness and wind. Spring frost is a threat, huge fans; ventilators are built in the vineyards to mix the air. Ground frost is an issue as the nights are still. Frost during bud breaks is damaging the fruit. High density needs usually irrigation, lower density with old vines no irrigation. Like some of the 60 year old vines. Mark was telling about pest management and unwelcome animals can be a problem, like deer and we just spotted a coyote getting in to the field.
Vegetation can be supervised with infra red cameras, near red and visible red calculation. Irrigation and pruning but also leaf shooting can be fine tuned according to this. There is also the grass; weed beside the vines which is competing for water, the GPS on the tractor can be adjusted to 1 meter where it has to cut it. More water means also there is more water.
As Mark was saying earlier no need for great slopes, it’s a valley, drainage is important and summer rainfall there is plenty of sun out there. Phenolic ripeness, brix and intensity are all there. The cooler sites are generally which are closer to the ocean (considering altitude as well) the inland is warmer.
The winery got established in 1966 on 200.000 USD borrowed money from friends and relatives and with Robert Mondavi’s own money. The winery was designed with the arch and a bell tower paying tribute to the Franciscan missionaries who introduced wine to California. 40 years ago there were only 20 wineries in the region, now there are over 320. Mondavi had it not easy after prohibition and phyloxera, but he believed that California can produce world class wine. And he was right. US laws are probably not the smoothest when it comes to wine, but nevertheless wine tourism is greatly appreciated in the USA.
Fumé Blanc is basically a dry, high quality, special style Sauvignon Blanc. I usually think of a Sauvignon Blanc which had its childhood (and maybe even more) in new oak. Yet there are many rather pleasant, good examples of oak use in California as well. Robert Mondavi’s Fumé Blanc was amongst them (see tasting notes at the very end).
The yields are around: 6-7 clusters / vine, this means 0,5 tonnes / acre or approximately 1,2 tonnes /ha. Common rootstock is the Rupestris St. George. The fruit from the harvest goes into small boxes, to avoid any pressure on the clusters and berries, destemming and gentle crushing.
The wineries new cellar was build in 1999, the most modern stainless steel and high tech, you be prepared to find basket presses as well. Pumping of the solid masses should be avoided, and as Mark was pointing out, Cabernet Sauvignon undergoes cap sprinkling for good colour, rack and gentle return. While for Pinot Noir they do punching down, for good tannins and avoid bitter fruit.
The earlier mentioned basket press is good for the press wine, and fermentation happens in the temperature controlled tanks. These are also mainly made out of wood. The barrels are cleaned with cold water.
I asked Mark about what’s the story on air passing through the wood or the pores or whether there is any exchange of air in a closed, sealed barrel. Previously at the Hafner Winery in Sonoma I was told by the wine makers, Park the only air which gets to the wine is during racking. Some other wineries in Oregon reported something similar, they turn the barrel slightly to the side and a sort of vacuum sucks in the plug at the top and no interchange what’s so ever takes place. Now this was rather confusing for me as I though there must be something, evaporation takes place, tannins to polymerize, microoxygination must happen, the whole idea beside oak flavours, is this. Mark said it too, there must be a certain interchange but he is aware that some people report otherwise. More research must be carried on this issue.
It was a great experience to listen and taste with Mark. His advice for the Master of Wine course was: read, taste and ask a lot of questions. Understand the issue, why things are different. Enjoy the process and have fun!
01/06/2009
Tasting notes Robert Mondavi (Napa)
Mondavi 2005 Chardonnay Reserve
Reserve meaning best fruit, south End – Carneros vineyard.
Style: intense without being too big or a fruit bomb.
Clean, light golden colour, lees 4-5 month’s batonnage. 40% new oak, very bright, pronounced good level of tropical fruit, stone fruit combination. Choosing the ‚right‘barrel and blending makes a difference. Dry, good wood use, balance and finesse with intensity, not too big, ripe fruit, fine finish.
Fumé Blanc 2006 Reserve
The Fumé Blanc supposes to be the OAKY bros of Sauvignon Blanc. No wonder I was „afraid“ when we came to this wine, it must be an oak monster, this Sauvignon Blanc. But Mark said this must not always be the case and I should try it. He was right.
Bright colour, fresh crisp despite there is some oak, but is not over powering rather inside the playing field, good game. Gooseberry, tropical notes mix, hint of mint and grassiness, ripe nevertheless. Dry, crisp, yet comes with a full texture, especially on the middle. Good acidity, wine with weight yet balance and structure, ripe fruit.
Pinot Noir Reserve 2007
Fairly deep garnet colour, juicy mint with an herbal ripeness to it. Cherry, bold yet elegant.
Good tannins, fine red fruit with liquorice, juicy cherry fruit going down with a peppery herbal character, good finish.
Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 Reserve
Garnet colour, great nose. Mature with complexity, leafy, char coal, BBQ, roasted meat and an herbal peppery, capsicum note, dense fruit and weight. Great complex nose, indeed, clove hint of cigar box. Alive, great acidity, soft smooth tannins, ripe black fruit with a leafy character, very long and dense finish.
Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 Reserve
Cool vintage- aromatic and complex
Brighter to the rim, hint of purple, shows aging potential. Herbal character, bold chunky fruit on the nose, black berry, cinnamon, eucalyptus and menthol. Soft smooth on the palate with plenty of black fruit, cassis, blackberry, gentle yet good concentration and a very good finish.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Reserve
„Dumb teenager“ there is a period where the wine closes down. Bit tight and closed on the nose, indeed at the moment. Yet there is good weight on the palate with concentration, gentle tannins and a mix of red and black fruit. Some Asian spice too, very full.
Stags Leap 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Southern area, deep ruby colour, cherry bramble fruit. Ripe, soft tannins, good acidity yet full of black fruit and dense. Plum, black fruit, cassis rather full and good weight. Great balance tannins and fruit. Lots of berry fruit.
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005
Black fruit, thymine, spice, herbs with cassis. Bright and full, gorges density on the nose.
Big tannins, but very ripe, a young wine but with great potential. Dense black fruit, bramble, raspberry, peppermint and nutmeg, full side. Long finish, dense wine with character. Well done.
94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc. Good finish.
Opus One 2005
88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec
Deep ruby colour, deep velvety nose, plenty of black fruit, leather, some herbal chunky black fruit. Yet very elegant, refined in style indeed full side and juicy. Ripe black fruit, bramble, complex, soft silky tannins and a lively acidity, certainly long. Some chocolate notes, cranberry, bramble fruit, ripe and good base, solid. Well done…needs time.