The Robert Mondavi Winery 2009 Moscato D’Oro is a single vineyard effort. All of the fruit for this dessert wine was sourced at the Wappo Hill Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District. This wine is 100% Muscat Canelli. The fruit was hand-picked over several days so that each lot would bring in different flavor profiles. Fermentation was stopped with chilling and filtration right after the sugar level dipped below 11%. This wine saw no oak treatment. The alcohol content is just above 8%. This wine is bottled in 375ml splits and has a suggested retail price of $25; it is current selling through the winery’s website for $20.
As is typical to the Muscat Canelli grape this dessert wine from the Mondavi Winery is highly aromatic. Tropical fruit aromas carry the day. Mango and papaya play roles along with lychee, and guava is present as well. These characteristics carry on through the palate where they’re joined by peach, apricot, nectarine and white plum. Those flavors continue through the finish where hints of tangerine are also present along with a wisp of white pepper. This is one dessert wine that is refreshing and crisp. When that final note dissipates it beckons you back to the glass for another sip
The 2009 Moscato D’Oro is a truly gorgeous wine. What I love about it most is that it does an impeccable job of balancing sweetness and light. All of the glorious ripe fruit flavors are on display prominently. The requisite sweetness is perfectly balanced by terrific acidity. This wine can easily be dessert all by itself. However it’ll pair perfectly with a fruit tart or an Italian style Ricotta based cheesecake.