Fume Blanc
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1 to 5 years from the vintage release to appreciate its vibrant fruit and crisp acidity.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Fresh goat cheese salad, grilled white fish with herbs, and roasted chicken.
✨ Technical Specifications
In 1968, Robert Mondavi revolutionized California Sauvignon Blanc by dry-fermenting the grape and aging it in French oak barrels, naming the result 'Fumé Blanc' as a clever nod to the Pouilly-Fumé region of the Loire Valley. This historic move transformed a neglected, overly sweet variety into a sophisticated, dry white wine that became a cornerstone of Napa Valley winemaking. Sourced primarily from Napa Valley, including the legendary To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, this wine typically blends Sauvignon Blanc with a small percentage of Sémillon. It is partially barrel-fermented and aged on its lees, resulting in a beautifully textured wine that balances vibrant citrus, melon, and lemongrass notes with a subtle, creamy complexity and a hint of flinty minerality.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1966 by California wine pioneer Robert Mondavi, this landmark estate catalyzed the post-Prohibition renaissance of Napa Valley fine wine. Anchored by the historic Mission-style winery designed by Cliff May, the heart of the estate lies in Oakville's famed To Kalon Vineyard, situated along an alluvial fan of well-drained gravelly loam beneath the Mayacamas Range. Here, warm diurnal shifts and cooling maritime drafts foster phenolic ripeness while preserving structural acidity. Guided by Director of Winemaking Kurtis Ogasawara, viticulture emphasizes rigorous ecological stewardship, highlighted by the CCOF organic certification of its core To Kalon acreage. The winemaking philosophy balances European classicism with Californian generosity, using temperature-controlled fermentation, French oak elevage, and careful plot-by-plot separation. The estate is celebrated for pioneering benchmark dry Fumé Blanc—including ancient ungrafted bush vines from the legendary I Block—and quintessential Napa Valley and To Kalon Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons.