Vertical Tastings of Mondavi’s Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and I Block To Kalon Vineyard Fumé Blanc

Since 1971, Robert Mondavi Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve has been one of California’s most renowned red wines, and it’s better today than ever as it now comes entirely from the extraordinary To Kalon vineyard in Oakville. But how many consumers have tasted Mondavi’s remarkable Fumé Blanc from the I Block of the same sprawling vineyard? During my double vertical tasting of both of these special bottlings in March, it was the white wine that hit me like lightning.

The Robert Mondavi Winery, founded in 1966

Founded in 1966, the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The owner of a major chunk (450 acres) of what is arguably this country’s most fabled vineyard, Mondavi produces its finest bottles from its acreage in To Kalon, which stretches from Highway 29 to the western hills of Oakville. To Kalon, Greek for “the beautiful,” is classic benchland on an alluvial fan sloping down from the Mayacamas mountains. The soils close to the base of the hills are light, gravelly and especially fast-draining, while finer loam deposits, including varying amounts of clay, have accumulated over the eons as To Kalon slopes gently toward Highway 29. Although more than 400 varieties have reportedly been planted in this vineyard through the years, it’s widely considered to be best for Bordeaux grapes, including Sauvignon Blanc.

Robert Mondavi Winery is the largest owner of To Kalon (the vineyard was founded in 1868 by Henry Walker Crabb and then enlarged when Crabb bought more adjacent land in 1881); the Beckstoffer family and Opus One own 89 and 83 acres, respectively. The boundaries of To Kalon have shifted during the years, sometimes owing to legal proceedings, and have also expanded, mostly toward the south and to the hills to the west, beyond the 359 acres originally owned and worked by Crabb.

Old Sauvignon Blanc soldiers in To Kalon I Block

A Supernal Long-Lived Sauvignon Blanc

Mondavi’s eminently ageworthy To Kalon I Block Fumé Blanc, from what are probably the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines in North America, will require a special effort to taste, as annual production is around 200 cases and the wine is rarely available outside the winery and a few elite restaurants. The vineyard was planted in 1945 on phylloxera-resistant St. George rootstock. The head-trained vines in this five-acre block are never irrigated and the crop level produced by these old soldiers is routinely under a ton per acre.