92 points Wine Enthusiast

Soft and succulent blackberry and cassis fruit upfront, framed by squeaky clean tannins and solid oak elements. “This is most notable for its voluptuous, velvety texture, which coats the palate with sweet flavors.” It’s not a big wine but a balanced, harmonious one, and a success for the vintage. Wine Enthusiast, December 2001

90 points CellarTracker (Community Consensus)

An aged Napa Valley red of distinct elegance and character that outperformed many of its peers from a notoriously cool year. The palate is harmonious and smooth, offering “a bouquet of dusty dried blackberries, black cherry confit, violets, bay leaf, and sage.” It finishes with a seamless, velvety mouthfeel and persistent length. CellarTracker, May 2020

Cult Wines International Notes:

Robert Mondavi Winery stands as a monumental titan in the history of American viticulture, credited more than any other producer with establishing Napa Valley as a premier world-class winemaking region. Founded in 1966 by visionaries Robert Mondavi and his family, the winery set a new benchmark for California through modern temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation, French oak barrel maturation, and precise clone selection. At the spiritual and qualitative heart of Mondavi’s portfolio is the legendary To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, renowned for its gravelly alluvial soils, sun-drenched days, and cooling coastal fog. First produced in 1971, the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon represents the absolute pinnacle of the estate’s craft—a masterfully assembled blend featuring 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot sourced heavily from To Kalon’s oldest, most prized blocks.

The 1998 growing season across Napa Valley is remembered as one of the most challenging and cool-climate campaigns of the 1990s, heavily influenced by an intense El Niño weather pattern. Persistent spring rains delayed flowering and reduced crop size, leading into an unusually cool summer with minimal heat waves. This required meticulous, light leaf-pulling and crop thinning by Mondavi’s viticultural team to ensure the grapes achieved steady phenolic maturation. Patience was rewarded with an October harvest of small, concentrated berries that possessed vibrant natural acidity and modest alcohol potential. Vinified using gentle pump-overs and extended skin maceration, the wine matured in 85% new French oak barrels for nearly two years before being bottled unfiltered.

At nearly three decades of bottle age, the 1998 Robert Mondavi Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon stands as a triumphs-over-vintage triumph—a graceful, Bordeaux-styled classic showing remarkable stamina. The primary dark fruit has settled into a sophisticated tertiary tapestry of dried blackberries, black cherry confit, cedar box, dried sage, and sweet pipe tobacco. On the palate, the tannins have completely resolved into a plush, velvety matrix, effortlessly framed by a refreshing spine of cool-climate acidity and a lingering graphite edge. This balanced, fully mature library release represents an essential acquisition for collectors who appreciate old-school, food-friendly California elegance.