2007 M by Michael Mondavi ‘Atlas Peak’ Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

WSI95 RP94+ 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The best wine to date that I have tasted under this label is the 2007 M by Michael Mondavi. With a production of 1,000 cases of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged 20-22 months in French oak before bottling, it has the most opaque purple color of the group. The style seems like a Napa version of a Graves wine interwoven with one from St.Estephe. With plenty of distinct loamy soil, earth, and charcoal notes along with pure black currant and plum-like fruit, this wine is dense, full-bodied, still somewhat restrained, but displaying sweet, velvety tannins and impressive texture and length. This is a beauty that should be cellared for 3-4 years and drunk over the next 25-30.

Former Mondavi CEO Michael Mondavi has his own boutique operation on Atlas Peak. It includes 17 acres planted on a hillside elevation of approximately 1,600 feet in volcanic white tufa. This site was once used as part of the blend for Opus One, but it is owned by Mondavi, who produces between 700 and 1,000 cases. This is, for the most part, a European, Bordeaux-styled wine, with more structure and firmness than many Napa Cabernets display in their youth.