Norm’s Tasting Notes: 2012 R. Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Norm’s Tasting Notes:  2012 R. Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Norm Bentley
Norm Bentley

Just hearing the name Robert Mondavi makes you think of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. So we were pleased to pair a bottle of the 2012 Napa Valley Cab with a nice thick and juicy fillet from the grill, cooked a perfect medium rare. This was not my first rodeo with a bottle of Mondavi Cab, and hopefully it won’t be my last.

The wine opens with a strong bouquet of blackberry and a hint of spice. The flavor is robust with a blackberry theme, backed with a touch of bell pepper and a dash of mellow oak. The finish is long and satisfying and hangs with the steak all of the way, which is most pleasant. The alcohol is 14.5%, which is a little high, but it does not impart any heat. Norm’s score is 88, and would probably be 90, but I did not detect the taste of cherry, which I enjoy so much, and find that it is usually typical of a California Cab.

California Cabs are the perfect choice for a thick grilled steak, as well as a variety of other robust meals.  The paring is greatly enhanced when the Cabernet is from Napa.

score: 88
price: $22 – $27

By: Norm Bentley
North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net

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