$90.00

Please note: The I Block To Kalon Vineyard Fumé Blanc is only available for purchase from the Winery or by calling (707) 968-2020.

Our I Block Fumé Blanc is the ultimate expression of our To Kalon Vineyard old vine Sauvignon Blanc.
- Genevieve Janssens - Director of Winemaking

TASTING NOTES

100% Sauvignon Blanc

A wine that is both vibrantly fresh and velvety smooth, our treasured I-Block Fumé Blanc layers flavors of vine- ripened Asian pear and exotic guava fruit with Meyer lemon curd and hints of marzipan and nutmeg; flavors that linger luxuriously on the palate with each mouthwatering sip.

VINEYARD NOTES

The I Block in Robert Mondavi Winery's To Kalon Vineyard provides 100 percent of the fruit for this treasured Fumé Blanc. I Block is a famed vineyard site in Napa Valley's Oakville AVA that is believed to be the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in North America — and the finest in the To Kalon Vineyard. The old vines are head-trained with no wires and are never irrigated. Through the years they have learned to self-regulate to produce just the right amount of fruit that they can faithfully ripen. To Kalon soils are well-drained, allowing the roots to dig deep. Combined with dry farming, this results in intensely flavorful fruit with a fine mineral character, concentration, and opulence.

Grape Sourcing: 100% I Block, 100% To Kalon Vineyard, 100% Oakville AVA, 100% Napa Valley
Date planted: 1945

PRODUCTION NOTES

Generous winter rains helped alleviate the drought conditions of the past four years, and the 2016 growing season started early. Throughout the summer months, we enjoyed cooler than average daytime highs and cool evenings, providing balancing acidity to our sun-ripened grapes. The near-perfect growing season continued through harvest and our grapes were safely in the cellar as the valley's first significant rainstorm arrived late October. We are grateful for a fifth consecutive vintage of stellar quality Napa Valley wines. Our select I-Block grapes from the To Kalon Vineyard were harvested between August 11th and August 15th.

WINEMAKER NOTES

The grapes were hand harvested in the cool of the morning and gently pressed as whole clusters, minimizing skin contact to retain freshness and vibrancy. All of the juice was barrel fermented in French oak, 22% new, for a slow, cool fermentation. To retain crisp acidity as a balance to the richly flavored fruit, the wine was not allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine aged on its lees (sûr lie) for 9 months and was hand-stirred (bâtonnage) to increase harmony and impart a creamy texture. The wine was bottled in July of 2017.

94 Points

Tight and reduced with sliced green melon, hints of lemon curd and fennel. Some stone. Full-bodied, layered and beautiful. Chunky and unique. From vines planted in the late 1940s. Decant before serving.
- James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 3, 2019