2021 Cobden Wini Cabernet Sauvignon Old Federal Vineyard Oakville Napa Valley 750 ml

To Kalon is the most legendary vineyard in Napa Valley. Situated in Oakville at the intersection of Highway 29 and Oakville Crossroad, it produces some of the most precious Cabernets made in the world: Opus One, Schrader, Carter Cellars, and many more blue-chip wineries rely heavily on To Kalon fruit.

So does UC Davis. The “Harvard of Winemaking” meticulously farms a 20-acre block in the western portion of To Kalon’s “1881” section. Known as the Old Federal Vineyard, it was controlled by the USDA during Prohibition, and today the To Kalon name is the source of quite the trademark dispute. 

This block is essentially an island in the heart of Mondavi’s portion of To Kalon, which supplies the winery’s iconic To Kalon Cabernet as well as Opus One. 

Cobden Wini proprietor and winemaker Mark Davis wasn’t boasting, just stating the facts, when he said, “It’s just me and maybe three other guys that get it.” His UC Davis connections have landed him OFV fruit since ‘17 vintage, and in the fabulous 2021 vintage, he made just 150 cases of Cabernet, aging the wine in 50% new and 50% used French oak barrels from Darnajou, Gamba, and Taransaud. 

What was so great about ‘21: “It was an even, easy year in terms of not a lot of crazy hot days, not a lot of rain to push harvest up, and it was middle of the road for crop load,” Mark told us. “You don’t want it to be too small and over-concentrated. Too much, and the tannins are too soft. It was the perfect balance of warm enough, no crazy events, you could pick when you wanted to.”