Continuum Pritchard Hill Proprietary Red 2016

Robert Mondavi was a pioneer unlike any other in the American wine industry and arguably its most renowned name. He founded Robert Mondavi winery in 1966 with his two sons Michael and Tim as well as America’s first cult brand, Opus One. Michael, the eldest, was tasked with selling the wine at Mondavi with Tim as the winemaker. For decades, this dynamic trio put California wine on the map. Eventually, Robert Mondavi’s namesake winery was sold in 2004 for over $1 billion to alcohol conglomerate, Constellation Brands. When that happened, both Michael and Tim left– eager to start a new chapter.

Michael Mondavi chose to commit himself full-time to his own namesake winery, while Tim’s plans were a bit more grandiose. Along with his sister, Marcia, he founded Continuum on Pritchard Hill in Oakville and purchased 41 acres for his vineyard dubbed ‘Sage Mountain Vineyard’. There they focus on just two premier labels, Novicium (Latin for young) from the newer vines that focus on ready to drink red blends, and Continuum the older sibling which accounts for some of the most complex, age-worthy wines you can find in Napa Valley.

The 2016 Continuum Proprietary Red is the product of absolutely perfect weather conditions for the Mondavi’s in their Pritchard Hill mountain vineyard. A deeply concentrated gem of a wine worthy of its 100 points from wine critic James Suckling and 99 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.