Robert Mondavi Reserve 1996

Description

Rich and complex yet restrained in style, with pretty coffee, currant, black cherry, spice and anise flavors that fan out nicely, this California Cabernet turns particularly elegant and polished on the long finish.Drink now. (15000 cases produced Wine Advocate #120 Dec 1998 Robert M. Parker, Jr. RATED 92 Drink: 2002 – 2025 $90-$115 The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve may be no better than the Oakville, but it is made in a slightly different style. The color is opaque purple, and the wine reveals more vanillin, a touch of mint, and plenty of black currant fruit in its moderately intense aromatics. Some of the vintage’s dry tannin (from this year’s stressed vineyard conditions) is present in the wine’s finish. A more stylish, restrained, less exuberant example than the 1996 Oakville, it is an outstanding offering that should be consumed between 2002-2025.