To Kalon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Robert Mondavi Winery 2021 75cl
To Kalon is one of the most storied vineyards in California, and this Reserve is Robert Mondavi's flagship expression of it. The 2021 is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, all grown in that famous Oakville site and raised around twenty months in new oak.
Mondavi more or less built the reputation of Napa Cabernet, and To Kalon — Greek for "the highest beauty" — is the heart of that legacy. Oakville sits in the warm valley floor of Napa, giving Cabernet that ripens fully while keeping the graphite-and-cedar structure that marks the great examples. 2021 was a small, concentrated vintage that critics have loved.
The nose is pure blackberry and cassis lifted by graphite and violet, with toasty new cedar and a cigar-box waft over black cherry. The palate is full-bodied and opulent — rich blackberry and black plum, dried herbs, sweet oak spice, vanilla and toasted almond — wrapped in velvety tannins. The finish runs long, with that telltale hint of graphite.
At £149.99 this is special-occasion Napa Cabernet with genuine pedigree. It's drinking well now with a good decant, but the structure will carry it comfortably for two decades. This is one to lay down for a milestone.
How to Serve
Serve at 16–18°C in a large Bordeaux glass. Decant two hours ahead when young to let the oak and fruit knit together.
Where to Drink It
Scott's in Mayfair for the full occasion. Wiltons on Jermyn Street for old-school grandeur. Or Bibendum for a quieter celebration.
Food Pairings
A standing rib of beef, cooked pink, with the tannins and fat meeting head-on. Or a whole roast rack of lamb for a smaller table.
