Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc 2017 Napa Valley, California, USA 75cl

Robert Mondavi is one of the defining names of Napa Valley, and this wine sits at the heart of its story. In 1968 Mondavi coined the term Fumé Blanc for a dry, oak-touched style of Sauvignon Blanc, borrowing from France’s Pouilly-Fumé and rescuing a grape that had fallen out of fashion in California. The label helped create an entirely new American category.

This 2017 is a Napa Valley blend of Sauvignon Blanc with around fifteen percent Semillon, the same partnership found in white Bordeaux. Fermentation and time in barrel round off the grape’s sharper edges and add a gentle waxy weight, while the Semillon lends breadth and a lanolin softness across the middle.

The 2017 shows the style at its most poised, balancing the freshness of a warm Napa growing year with the texture that barrel work brings. It is a wine to drink now, when the fruit is bright and the oak sits quietly in support.

Expect aromas of lemon, grapefruit and fig, with a whisper of smoke and a creamy, subtly herbal note. The palate is crisp but textured, gaining complexity from the Semillon and barrel fermentation, and finishing long and clean. It is a fine match for grilled fish, roast chicken, or a fresh goat’s cheese salad.

If you enjoy a fuller white Bordeaux or a Loire Sauvignon Blanc with a little more weight, this is a natural next pour. Confident, food-friendly and historically important, it earns its place as the original Fumé Blanc. Serve it well chilled to show its fresh, citrus-driven side.