1985 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

All of my tastings of this wine over the last 3-4 years have resulted in scores in the low eighties. In this tasting the wine revealed an earthy, herbal nose with faint red and black fruit notes in the background. Light to medium-bodied and extremely lean (reminiscent of an underripe Bordeaux), this pleasant but one-dimensional wine is not going to improve, although it is capable of lasting for another decade. This wine was made during the period when Mondavi's reliance on high-tech, sculpturing methods entailed considerable processing, fining and filtration. The 1985 Reserve has no resemblance whatsoever to the great Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons made in 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993.