Critics Average score from professional wine critics and publications.
88
/100
Reviews
29
professional
Vintages
1
1998
Other
88/100
Cabernet Sauvignon
NV
Community Reviews
3434
Reviews
87.7
Avg Score
93
Highest
Taster #1045
· Nov 28, 2024
This was delicious. Everyone expected it to be beyond its prime, and perhaps it was, but it was nice, soft, round and yet still powerful. One more bottle to go, and it's probably best to get to it sooner rather than later.
1998 vintage
Taster #2456
· Oct 26, 2019
89/100
Surprisingly still good
1998 vintage
Taster #7254
· Jul 16, 2019
90/100
My last bottle, sadly. Still excellent. The cocoa and dark red fruit are as delicious as ever.
1998 vintage
Taster #4001
· Jul 11, 2019
92/100
Ripe green olive, dark fruit, cranberry and spice with soft tannins.
1998 vintage
Taster #4001
· Feb 12, 2019
92/100
Full bodied with mature tannins. Dark fruit, plum, green olive with leather and Asian spice. Drinking nicely.
1998 vintage
Taster #7254
· Feb 6, 2019
90/100
Still great. Pop and pour with beef stew on a cold, damp evening. Cork in great shape! Nose knocked me over on opening! Really surprisingly good.
1998 vintage
Taster #2017
· Jun 30, 2018
90/100
Brick-red color, definitely starting to show some age around the edges. Nose of earth and ripe plums. Soft on the attack, with soft & velvety tannins embracing the sides of the tongue. Leather, coffee, and bittersweet chocolate are the dominate tastes, with hints of plum sneaking through a long and evolving finish. This is a classic Mondavi cab. Drink up.
1998 vintage
Taster #6236
· Apr 2, 2018
88/100
A slight brownish tint and some mustiness in the nose gave some worry upon opening. But the brett faded during the first hour, resulting in a medium body cab with an underlying sweetness of cherry and strawberry. A short finish, but pleasantly dry. The flavors and body seemed to be fading quickly in the second hour, so we drank it quick. This one is past its prime.
1998 vintage
Taster #2017
· Jun 25, 2017
91/100
I'm not sure who thought this wine should have been consumed by 2009, as it is drinking phenomenally right now. It is sure to be a delightful compliment to tonight's ribeye steak.
1998 vintage
Taster #2653
· Nov 22, 2015
79/100
It's beyond time, too beyond!
1998 vintage
Taster #7194
· Jul 11, 2015
86/100
Forgot about this bottle. Perfectly kept, so while you could see it was aged, there still was a lot of flavor there. Fruit was gone, but some nice earth tones. Very short finish. Would have been great 4 years ago.
1998 vintage
Taster #6280
· Jan 9, 2015
85/100
Bottle was in perfect condition. The cork was still intact. Color was brownish indicating its age. Has a little funk to the nose, and tastes like strawberries. The finish is very short. Probably past is prime by several years. Drank over a few hours. Don't let it get too much air and drink pretty quickly. It was awful by almost the third hour.
1998 vintage
Taster #3236
· Sep 4, 2014
92/100
Gorgeous!
1998 vintage
Taster #6272
· Oct 14, 2013
88/100
It was tight and musty at first but then opened up and was surprisingly good.
1998 vintage
Taster #8622
· Jul 22, 2012
87/100
Over its prime, a bit of spice left, rich nose but not too much flavour left on the palate. Nice wine, not difficult to drink, but we waited way too long. C'est la vie. It was a chance to test out a Sauce Hussarde on the regulation country chicken of Sunday Lunch. Sauce Hussarde ? Ah, I didn't know about it either, till I made it. Yummmm. Jon Cooper Jardin Gorbeau Etretat Guesthouse Etretat, Normandy, France www.gorbeau.com
1998 vintage
Taster #1598
· Dec 18, 2011
88/100
Not bad - still breathing and improving half an hour after opening.....
1998 vintage
Taster #4187
· Jan 12, 2010
85/100
Drank with steph
1998 vintage
Taster #7440
· Jun 28, 2009
90/100
Nice RC Mt. Veeder.... not my fave vintage of this wine ('04 and '06) but YUMMY. Lovely fruit.
1998 vintage
Taster #8207
· Sep 29, 2008
Gave to LL to taste and review - The color was brick red through and through. The nose was overwhelming vulcanized rubber - a sure sign that this wine was going to be undrinkable. I tortured myself by taking a small sip, and it was hideous. This wine is terminated...any leftover bottles need to be dumped.
1998 vintage
Taster #9327
· Jun 29, 2008
A young-at-heart cab with blackberry and currant flavors. Very soft tannins that have clearly mellowed over the years. An off year for Napa Cabs but this one seems to have matured reasonable well. Decanted the wine just to help aerate. Settled into its own after 30-45min or so.
1998 vintage
Taster #9115
· Jun 20, 2008
89/100
Surprisingly very good for a 98. It's complex, earthy, medium fruit and a medium long finish.
1998 vintage
Taster #6105
· May 16, 2008
R.I.P. to the Cali wine icon. I have enjoyed a few Mondavi wines over the years, a taste or two of the reserve, and a few Napa bottlings. The most memorable was a '96 Cab we enjoyed in Hawaii for our wedding dinner almost 9 years ago. We were just starting to get into wine. Just getting ready to move beyond the Chat. Ste Michelles, the Columbia Crests, the Kendall Jackson Chardonnays. We paid something like $50 or 60 bucks …
1998 vintage
Taster #8688
· Dec 10, 2007
90/100
drank together with 1998 OPUS ONE. This wine actually stand up very wine against the big brother. Overall lacks in concentration and balance but on ther other hand more lively.
1998 vintage
Taster #2295
· Apr 8, 2007
81/100
Not an enjoyable bottle of wine. Not much heft and slightly bitter/acidic. It WAS drinkable but not enjoyable.
1998 vintage
Taster #7536
· Mar 19, 2007
72/100
Dusty cork but wine smelled fine.. Taste was completely absent as this tasted more like a weak merlot. Very dissapointed.
1998 vintage
Taster #4509
· Sep 17, 2006
85/100
Very green and heavy cedar. Very one dimensional. Perhaps it needed to be decanted.
1998 vintage
Taster #7639
· Jul 3, 2006
89/100
Light, oaky, but fairly refreshing stuff.
1998 vintage
Taster #2573
· Apr 9, 2006
91/100
This is a great bottle from a tough vintage--but it's from Mt Veeder so the soil and AVA suggest a better wine even given the rain (and I was in Napa and Sonoma in November of 1998 to see the rain and soggy conditions). It had good fruit and well integrated tannins and alcohol.
1998 vintage
Taster #8522
· Oct 14, 2005
88/100
Still drinking well. Started to fall apart after a couple hours, but all in all, very pleased with a '98 Mondavi at seven years of age. Very balanced. Black liqorice and lots of finish.
1998 vintage
Taster #3375
· Jun 22, 2004
88/100
Good cabernet. Opened up well. Nice body. Served with steak.
1998 vintage
Taster #3375
· Apr 8, 2004
87/100
Strawberry, nice fruit. Would have liked a fuller Cabernet. Anticipating something richer and more robust. Didn’t handle the steak marvelously. It was better the second night. Served with steak, risotto, and vegetables.
1998 vintage
Taster #7792
· Feb 21, 2003
Surprisingly sweet taste on entry; ripe, round, deliciously mature fruits. Cab nose with some sweet oak.
1998 vintage
Taster #7121
· Aug 22, 2002
87/100
Smith&Wollensky steakhouse New York, late Aug 2002: lots of black and red fruit.
1998 vintage
Taster #7780
· Jul 5, 2002
93/100
Wine House: DArker, bigger bodied, more t’s than Grand Archer. Smokey, rich cab; dark plums, littel balck pepper.
1998 vintage