2007 Continuum
There are wines I like, wines I love, and wines I’m just completely obsessed with.
Tim Mondavi’s Continuum belongs in the obsessed category. From Pritchard Hill, it is, for me, one of the best, if not the best, expression of what makes Napa wine quintessentially Napa. I was beyond blessed when a friend surprised me by opening this bottle with dinner. Knowing what a huge fan I am, he handed me a glass blind, said, “I opened this for you” and left me to my own devices. I sniffed and sipped in relative silence, saying very little beyond thinking it was young, Napa, and a big boy producer. The nose was a hedonistic blend of black cherry, currants, wild berries and plums, enveloped in herbally, oaky, vanilla and almost wild flowers. The palate followed the nose, rich and powerful, but perfectly balanced and integrated with mouth filling tannins and enough acid to lift the richness and highlight the bittersweet chocolate, earth, and graphite that were underneath the ripe fruit. I knew I loved what I was tasting, but can’t claim to have known what was in my glass. When the bottle was revealed, I actually squealed with delight, and was shocked that it was a 2007. With 12 years of age, I would not have guessed it to be quite as vibrant and fruit forward, but 2007 was such a spectacular growing season in Napa, this wine tastes like it was bottled in the last 5 years. With the 07 blend consisting of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Petit Verdot, I think the 07 vintage will only get better. The hedonistic deliciousness in the glass now can only become more elegant and ethereal with additional time in the bottle. My obsession continues and I’ll be looking for an ’07 to add to my cellar.
ABOUT CONTINUUM
With its first vintage release in 2005, Continuum Estate is a relatively young winery by Napa standards. But with Tim and Marcia Mondavi at the helm, Continuum is part of a longer story and legacy that is part of the fabric of Napa Valley. It started in the early 20th Century – Cesare Mondavi moved to Lodi and started shipping California grapes to produce table wines. By 1943, the family purchased Charles Krug Winery and the Mondavi’s grow and bottle quality table wine led by Cesare’s sons, Peter and Robert Mondavi. In 1966 Robert Mondavi leaves Krug to start his own winery, becoming probably the most famous name in Napa producing world-class wines. Robert’s children, Michael, Marcia, and Timothy are raised in the wine world and all three continue the family legacy with Michael being the first to begin his own project while Tim leads wine growing and Marcia handles sales and education at Robert Mondavi Winery for more than 30 years.
In 2005, Robert, Tim, and Marcia Mondavi found Continuum to produce a single estate wine on Pritchard Hill. It wasn’t until 2012 that Continuum released its first vintage with 100% hillside estate vineyard fruit, and in 2013, Continuum had its first harvest crushed at their new estate winery, celebrating Tim Mondavi’s 40th year of winemaking.
Located on the east side of Napa Valley, high on Pritchard Hill, the Continuum estate overlooks Oakville to the west. Elevations range from 1325 to 1600 feet, the perfect location to grown rich and concentrated Bordeaux varietals with great structure and acidity. The hillside vineyard boasts low vigor red, rocky, volcanic and loam soils, with two distinct soils types-Rock-Hambright loam & Sobrante loam. Both sets of soil are a mix of clay loam, fractured volcanic material and immense quantities of andesite rock. While soil descriptions don’t mean a lot to most people, these shallow soils drain well, requiring just the right amount of struggle to grow fabulous winemaking grapes.