1987 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
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Tasting notes
87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot. A vintage with early budbreak and a cool spring. A heat wave during flowering led to reduced yields, which were then reduced further through less water availability from reduced rainfall. The combination led to small berries with more concentration. The cool season led to overall higher acidity levels. Fermented in stainless steel at 86 °F (30 ºC) for four days then kept on skins for three weeks. After malolactic conversion it was aged in 85% new French oak for 18 months. Aromatics of green bell pepper with a musky note that integrates with time in the glass. The green herbal notes carry forward into the palate lifting the wine from a core of creamy spice and mixed fruits. There is a lot of amplitude and density on the palate here with nice aromatic complexity and a lifting freshness. This is a pleasant wine that drinks well right now but does have a few years left in the bottle. (ECB)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Quite glowing dark crimson. The first wine with serious tertiary character on the nose. Drying tannins and acid on the finish. Drying out. Reminds me of a less ripe bordeaux vintage. (JR)
Last Tasted 2/93 This extraordinary wine is backward and unevolved, but even neophytes will recognize its potential greatness. The opaque, saturated, dark purple color reveals no sign of age. The huge, smoky, oaky, blackcurrant, herb, and vanillin-scented nose only hints at what will be achieved with further evolution. Sweet, decadently rich, dense, highly extracted flavors are wrapped around a full-bodied, chewy, super-concentrated, moderately tannic wine that, ideally, needs 7-8 more years of cellaring. It is a 25 to 30 year California Cabernet Sauvignon that is just beginning to become civilized. A potential legend in the making!
About the producer
Robert Mondavi is a name known the world over. The ambitious businessman created his eponymous winery in 1966 to produce world-class wines in Napa, pioneering quality winemaking and becoming a champion for the region.