Continuum 2021 Proprietary Red HALF BOTTLE   

2021 Continuum Proprietary Red Wine Sage Mountain Vineyard, Napa Valley HALF BOTTLE

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 99 Points

Tim Mondavi’s Sage Mountain Proprietary Red continues to get better year after year.  Not only does the wine age gracefully in the bottle, the vines continue to get older, and along with that comes more depth and complexity in the wine. The 2021 may actually indicate that it’s beginning to reach an apex of perfection, at least that’s what we all think of it as being. Virtually a perfect wine, raise a glass and toast Tim Mondavi, a true master of Napa Valley winemakers.

98-100 points Lisa-Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "This note is written before the final blend of the 2021 Continuum. Deep purple-black in color, it hits the ground running with an intense nose of red and black currant preserves, lilacs, baker's chocolate, and graphite, leading to an undercurrant of black olives and red loam. On the medium to full-bodied palate it is very lively, grainy and super-concentrated, finishing long and shimmery. Drink: 2028-2060. (6/7/23)"

99 points James Suckling: "Blackberries, dark wet soil and blackcurrants. Graphite, too. So aromatic. Pure fruit. Full-bodied with superbly polished, fine tannins that draw you down through the center of palate. Extremely layered and the texture is so curated, giving wonderful persistence. Real plushness and fine, velvety texture. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 37% cabernet franc, 7% petit verdot and 6% merlot. Better after 2026. (3/6/24)"

99 points Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate): "Continuum's 2019 Proprietary Red is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot and 6% Merlot, all from the estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill. Aged in two-thirds new French oak, with the balance in second or third-use barrels and a single concrete amphora, it's remarkably dark in hue, a deep, saturated purple in the glass. On the nose, it's floral and herbal yet fruit-driven, with violets, sage and bay leaf adding nuance to black cherries, while the palate is full-bodied, plush and silky. There's an enticing yin-yang to the interplay between high-toned herbals and bass notes of dark chocolate in this dense, concentrated effort that finishes lush and long. It's a magnificent wine that should drink well for at least two decades. Drink: 2025-2045. (May 2022)"