Team C&J
This Winery Is Permanently Closed.
Winery Rating
Located at:
930 3rd St, Napa, CA 94559
Wine Club Rating
Price Range For Tasting
First things first. Because this spot is so new (it opened in August 2023), there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of Arch and Tower, Robert Mondavi Winery’s temporary tasting room in downtown Napa. Let’s change that.
The name Robert Mondavi and Napa Valley wine are synonymous; so much so that it’s hard for Cabernet lovers to make the trek to this coveted wine region without a stop at one of its most iconic brands. If you’re visiting Napa in 2023, you may have encountered a surprise: the
Robert Mondavi’s winery on Highway 29 is closed. But don’t let that deter you from experiencing one of the most memorable wine tastings that Napa has to offer. While the massive Robert Mondavi Winery and tasting room in Oakville, California is closed for an incredible $200 million renovation, this legendary brand has set-up a wine country experience for their legions of fans in downtown Napa. As we found on our most recent trip to the heart of California’s premiere wine country, Arch and Tower, Mondavi’s temporary tasting room, makes a case for a permanent outpost.
Robert Mondavi was a pioneering California winemaker who began crafting wine at his eponymous winery in 1966. In the 1960s, the world’s wine connoisseurs viewed the California wine industry as an irrelevant player producing what some might call the equivalent of table wine. Mondavi, along with a handful of other visionaries, set out to prove the world wrong, and made it his life’s mission to promote Napa as one of the world’s best wine producing regions.
His wines are considered some of the best examples of California Cabernet Sauvignon.
Arch and Tower is located in the Borreo building in downtown Napa, and is within walking distance of hotels like the Archer and the Andaz. One of the coolest features of this location is that the building is one of the oldest in Napa (the second-oldest, actually), dating back to 1877!
Depending on the tasting you book, you have the option to sit inside or on the terrace with a view of the Napa River.
Guests who visit Arch and Tower can select from three experiences. Reservations are required for all experiences.
This wine tasting includes four estate-level wines with a light “snack” pairing. This 75 minute tasting is a good way to introduce your palate to Mondavi’s wines, and is a good choice if you don’t want to commit to a 90 minute tasting with a full lunch.
The To Kalon tasting takes place in the winery’s exclusive lounge area, and features only wines from this historic vineyard. A light snack pairing is also included.
This lunch is a family-style three-course menu with four wine pairings that includes a white wine, two red wines, and a sweet dessert wine. To discover more about tasting, read our experience below.
While Napa Valley does not allow wineries to have on-site restaurants like Paso Robles’, they can skirt the rules a bit by offering food pairings with their wine offerings. Despite not being served at a traditional restaurant, the Legend Lunch at Arch and Tower might be as good as, if not better, than some of the experiences we have had in California wine country.
One look at our photos and you will see what we mean. The preparation could not have been better and the staff thoroughly walked us through each wine and dish that was presented.
The “Legend Lunch”
First Course
Beetziki
Alaskan Halibut
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Wine pairing:
2020 Mondavi Fume Blanc Reserve, To Kalon Vineyard (retail $95)
Robert Mondavi coined the name ‘Fume Blanc’ in 1968 to distinguish his dry-fermented wine from the sweeter style of Sauvignon Blanc that was popular at the time.
Main Courses
Sonoma Duck Confit
Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
Wine pairings:
2018 Robert Mondavi Winery PNX Pinot Noir, Carneros (Retail $55)
2019 Robert Mondavi Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, To Kalon Vineyard (retail $250)
Dessert
Olive Oil Cake with Almond Crumble
Wine pairing:
2018 Robert Mondavi Winery, Sauvito, Sauvignon Blanc, Oakville (Retail $65)
The Chef
Mondavi, or, rather, parent-company Constellation Brands, has refined and recalibrated the entire tasting experience, including partnering with James Beard-award winning chef Chris Shepherd. Chef Shepherd, along with Jeff Mosher, the winery’s Executive Chef, have cultivated a menu that brings out the best in these elevated California wines, and the local, seasonal produce.
When you see the name ‘To Kalon’ on the bottles at the Arch and Tower tasting, you know you’re going to have an excellent experience. To Kalon is one of the most famous vineyards in Napa Valley, and one whose fruit commands prices upwards of $20,000 to $70,000 per ton – an astounding price, even for a historic vineyard in prime grape growing country.
To put that into context, the average price of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in Napa Valley was $8,947 per ton in 2022.
The Mondavi brand has really gone over the top (in a good way!) with Arch and Tower. The wines were exactly what you would expect from a brand that is positioning itself as a destination for a luxury tasting experience in Napa. Wines were the best of the best, with each pour from the reserve bottlings and To Kalon vineyard wines.
This is another five-star winery with great wines, great food, and staff that made our visit a joy. Arch and Tower is slated to be open until 2025, when the winery will reopen. Do visit if you find yourself in Napa.
All things wine, and food you could ever need or want — straight to your email!
