Drink.  Learn.  Laugh.  Repeat.

Welcome Back!Sign in here:

Not Registered?Become one of our thirsty clan 332,996 strong:

Register Today!

Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Fumé Blanc 2015 Wine Review

Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Fumé Blanc 2015

Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Fumé Blanc 2015

Napa Valley, California, United States

Community Score:92/100

Community Reviews: 6

  Add My Review


Price: $79.95

Drink: 2019-2022

Bottle size: 750 ml

Alcohol: 14.5%

Sweetness: Extra Dry

Wine Type: White Wine


Winery: Robert Mondavi Winery

Agent: Arterra Wines Canada Inc.

Natalie's Score: 92/100

A smoky, flinty, fragrant Napa Chardonnay with layers of ripe stone fruit, dried herbs, lemon zest, and smoky from a light touch of toasty oak. A dry, flavoursome and zesty white blend of 98% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Semillon sourced entirely from To Kalon Vineyard.

Fumé Blanc food pairings: grilled shrimp, seafood Shepherd's pie, calamari, grilled whitefish.

Scrumptious Seafood Wine

This Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Fumé Blanc 2015 was reviewed on May 20, 2021 by Natalie MacLean

More Vintages: 2016  2013  2014  2012 

  Add New Vintage

Pricing & Stock Information

Reviews and Ratings

Matt Steeves - Certified Sommelier rated this wine as 95/100 with the following review:

The provenance of Robert Mondavi's Fumé Blanc Reserve is some of the finest Grand Cru quality vineyards in North America - the world-renowned To Kalon Vineyard in Napa Valley's Oakville AVA. To Kalon barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc is a style unlike no other and a style that's loved by many.

A blend of 94% Sauvignon Blanc and 6% Sémillon sourced entirely from Robert Mondavi's To Kalon Vineyard. 2015 vintage saw one of the earliest harvests on record (August 1-25), as the grapes had achieved optimal ripeness whilst retaining the freshness expected in this crisp and textured wine. The nose shows a beautiful bouquet of exotic fruits, sweet lemon grass, tropical fruits, spice, and pronounced flinty minerality. Creamy and refreshing with a mineral-focused mouthwatering finish, the layers of fruit are elegant, structured, perfectly balanced and beautifully textured. Winemaker Genevieve Janssens adds further complexity and texture to the wine by a variety of techniques including French oak barrel and concrete egg fermentation. Bottled in July 2016, it's evolved further in-bottle the past few years and is showing exceptionally well now and will for the next decade. Enjoy the 2015 Fume Blanc Reserve with sushi, lemon ginger shrimp, or spicy Asian cuisine. Drink 2020 to 2030. Tasted October 2020. 95 points. Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca
Jennifer Havers - WSET Level 3 rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

Sample tasted as part of a California wine month seminar “California – Then and Now”. From the historic To Kalon vineyard, with some of the earliest plantings of Sauvignon Blanc dating back to 1945. This wine also has 6% Semillon providing a lovely roundness on the palate. Aromas of tropical and stone fruit, creamy lemon, and even just a hint of candied lemon. Soft on the palate, lovely balance, and vibrant, mouthwatering fruit, with just a hint of salinity. Just lovely. Enjoy with pan-seared scallops or a lovely spring pea risotto.
Alana L rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Sourced entirely from the historic Mondavi To Kalon Vineyard with 94 % Sauvignon Blanc & 6 % Sémillon, it has a beautiful aromatic nose with stone fruit (peach, pear), citrus (sweet, ripe lemon and orange), herbs, spice (cinnamon) and light brioche from the oak. Lovely balance between freshness & texture, perfectly integrated oak, complex, slightly smoky, mineral with high (balanced) acidity and a silky long finish it’s a stunning wine that would pair beautifully with pasta carbonara or salmon gravlax.

Tasted as part of the "California Wine Month Master Class: California Then and Now", a master class showcasing classic California wines, regions and range of styles and beautifully hosted by writer and speaker, Elaine Chukan Brown and California Wines!
Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright CWM rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

As an oaked Sauvignon Blanc, Fumé Blanc can sometimes land in between Chardonnay and Sav with no real home. This one shows a very delicate use of oak that allows the Sauvignon Blanc characters to shine through, while just padding it with a slight oaky creaminess. Packed full of tropical flavours, candied pineapple and ripe papaya, it finishes with a gentle acidity that leaves the palate feeling clean. Try with smoked salmon with a passionfruit and ginger vinaigrette @wrightwineblog
From Robert Mondavi and the To Kalon Vineyard in Napa Valley, a dry and flinty Fumé Blanc with tropical fruit, key lime, citrus zest and flinty mineral flavours creamy on the palate with a mouth-watering finish. Elegant and perfectly balanced, buy winemaker Genevieve Janssens adds further complexity and texture to the wine by a variety of techniques including French oak barrel as well as concrete egg fermentation. - Community Wine Reviews

If you liked the Robert Mondavi Winery To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Fumé Blanc 2015, you might also like these wines:

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO

PAIR WINE
& FOOD?

Join me in a free online video class to learn the secrets to perfect pairings.

Wine of the Week

As featured on  

CTV Wine of the Week!

Wander + Found Sparkling Wine
Sparkling Cuveé Blanc Can

Natalie MacLean

Natalie MacLean offers North America's most popular online wine and food pairing classes. She was named the World's Best Drinks Writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia.

Natalie has published two books with Random House, both selected as one of Amazon's Best Books of the Year.

Join 332,996 thirsty wine lovers who get access to all of her wine reviews by becoming a member of her site. Take a free online pairing class with her here.

FEEL LOST IN THE

LCBO?

Know the wines you want before you even get to the store with my wine reviews. Join now. It's free.

Red, White & Drunk All Over

  Best Books of the Year

Red, White & Drunk all over by Natalie MacLean

Natalie MacLean writes about wine with a sensuous obsession... and often laugh-out-loud funny... Terrific.

Rex Pickett, Sideways

Ms. MacLean is the disarming Everywoman. She loves wine, loves drinking ... ultimately, it's a winning formula.

Eric Asimov, The New York Times

GOT A SMARTPHONE?

Access my reviews on mobile with the bar code scanner.

GET NAT'S APP

Unquenchable: A Tipsy Search

  Best Books of the Year

Unquenchable by Natalie MacLean

Natalie MacLean is a new force in the wine writing world ‐ a feisty North American answer to Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. She can write beautifully about wine.

The Financial Times of London

There are very few people in the wine world who "get it" and Natalie is one of those who brings more fun to a buttoned-up and stodgy game.

Gary Vaynerchuck, Wine Library TV

Starting a Wine Cellar?

Expert advice for all budgets

Insider tips on starting a wine cellar
From wine racks to underground caves, insider tips on size and space, number of bottles, ideal conditions and reputable resources.   learn more  
Winner World's Best Drink Writer
WFour-Time Winner James Beard Foundation
Five-Time Winner Association of Food Journalists
Six-Time Winner Bert Greene Award
Best Wine Literature Book Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
Online Writer of the Year Louis Roederer International Wine Writing Award