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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.1 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 54 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Genius Light on 2/18/2024 & rated 97 points: As always, Philippe Melka has crafted an outstanding wine: lovely aromas of fruit & spice, the wine is rich & complex with a long, long finish. A wine in a beautiful place right now. Decanted three hours. 97+ (85 views) | | | Tasted by Zuperdaave on 5/14/2023 & rated 95 points: Delicious! (401 views) | | | Tasted by WineJ2019 on 8/11/2022 & rated 92 points: Agree w others that this is showing well now (728 views) | | | Tasted by WineFrog09 on 8/4/2022 & rated 92 points: Drank after a bottle of Carter that was very different but this wine is in a fantastic place. I’ve had other vintages of CJ and this is a great vintage. Lots of structure and great fruit. (737 views) | | | Tasted by TheoIV on 2/4/2022 & rated 94 points: Very big perfume, a pleasure in off itself. Low acid, smooth, long lasting finish of raspberries, tobacco and dark cherries. Very enjoyable drop. (991 views) | | | Tasted by Joelene on 12/11/2021 & rated 94 points: Tasted blind, I knew it was a Melka immediately on the nose. Has that half funky half not, half French half not, half hot half not thing that Melkas all seem to have. Big full bodied wine, smooth warm palate, nice mouthfeel, big raspberry pie with vanilla, sweet tobacco, sweet tannin, creme brûlée, and some clay and mineral notes too and just enough acidity to keep up from going over the top. Nice long finish. Really a solid wine in a great spot right now, started singing after 1 hour open. (1099 views) | | | Tasted by WineJ2019 on 8/30/2020 & rated 91 points: A solid offering but QPR a bit challenging. Follows the Napa cab profile with oak/vanilla and relatively bold fruit. Perhaps a more difficult comparison as we had this after a bottle of Ulysses that was fantastic (1439 views) | | | Tasted by Millennial Drinkers on 1/26/2020 & rated 92 points: Deep ruby red. Light baking spices on the nose with cassis, black berries and tobacco. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium plus bodied. Well rounded palate with sweet spices, dark plums, tobacco and a bit of gravel. Long finish. Drink till 2027. (1826 views) | | | Tasted by Odedis.Wine.reviews on 11/16/2019 & rated 92 points: Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Strong nose of blackberries, black currants, cooked cherries, figs, raisins, light alcohol, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, light cloves, chocolates, mocha, coke and dark coffee.
Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, blueberries, sweet strawberries, oak, vanilla, chocolate cake, coffee, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead, tobacco and peppercorn.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is delicious. This is from a great vintage (2012) and it is showing. Rich and extracted with nice complexity and mouthfeel. I liked the tangy ending.
This 7 year old is drinking very nicely now and will be good in the next 5 to 7 years. Needs 3 hours to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle.
A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 8% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 18 months in (30%) New French oak barrels.
15.2% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$90. (1131 views) | | | Tasted by BI81 on 2/1/2019: This wine completely transformed over the course of a couple hours.
After 30 mins in the decanter the first glass started with a powerful nose of dark cherry, cedar and bramble. Unfortunately the palette did not follow suit. There was overwhelming heat and bitterness that distracted from the fruit and everything else.
The second glass seemed to be a different wine. The nose remained powerful and enticing but the heat faded away and the depth of the wine began to shine. The tannins are smooth, velvety and well integrated with strong stature and structure. The wine is very well balanced with solid dark red cherry fruit and savory notes of leather and peppery spice. (1904 views) | | | Tasted by mancuta on 12/19/2018: Thought this was showing well tonight. Black berries, new oak, tobacco. Tannins were velvety. Tad bit more ripe it had than I thought. (1730 views) | | | Tasted by pommieba@cox.net on 8/31/2018 & rated 92 points: Well-structured with layered flavors of black currants, spice, tobacco, and hints of leather. Solid tannins and well balanced, a crisp finish lends plenty of depth to the wine. A delicious example of Melka's wines. (1544 views) | | | Tasted by rockthomii@gmail.com on 8/17/2018 & rated 93 points: Quick 30 min decant. Deep opaque purple. Prominent nose of blueberry, blackberries, dark cherry and notes of cedar and carnation. Taste is similar with black cherry and blackberries being most noticeable with some licorice notes and those little wax bottle sweet drinks like you had as a kid. Well integrated tannins contribute to a long finish. Very smooth. Nice wine! (1750 views) | | | Tasted by Asmiller on 7/4/2018 & rated 90 points: Tons and tons of fruit, maybe even slightly jammy (1608 views) | | | Tasted by rockthomii@gmail.com on 9/29/2017 & rated 93 points: Quick decant in the glass for 30 minutes. Deep purple in color with a garnet rim. Prominent nose of blackberries, dark cherry and carnations. Taste is similar but more dominated by tart black cherry with some spicy crushed black pepper near the finish. Also some glycerol licorice notes. Good tart tannins contribute to a long finish. Very smooth. Tartness fades as it decants in the glass with some light dark chocolate notes developing as well. Well done! (2281 views) | | | Tasted by Randito on 8/1/2017 & rated 90 points: Expecting a lot more from this bottle, however it fell very short. Just an average Napa Cab. No way worth the $70 + current CJ Melka vintages are commanding. NAPA cabs have lost their minds pricing! (2402 views) | | | Tasted by kvd2 on 2/18/2017 & rated 93 points: Color: Deep Purple; Inky
Nose: Red Fruits and Earthy
Taste: Upfront Flavors of Bright Sweet Fruits (Cherry and Raspberry), Mid Palate of Chocolate and Floral Notes; Finishes Big with Tobacco and Earthy Flavors
Comp's: Cigars, Pasta, Steak, Pasta, Dark Chocolate, or on its Own; Similar to Left Bank Polished Bordeaux that is Uncoiled; Similar to Meyer Cab (482 views) | | | Tasted by pommieba@cox.net on 11/26/2016 & rated 92 points: Clean wine - Blackberry and Spice on nose. Well balanced with Blackberry and a hint of spice and a little oak. Really nice finish. Had with Duck at Splashes in Laguna, paired very well. Really nice wine would buy another for cellaring. (3340 views) | | | Tasted by pommieba@cox.net on 11/13/2016 & rated 91 points: Tasted today, nice clean wine, good structure, blackcurrant, spice a hint of anise and pepper. Full bodied and fruity. Still a little tannic with a nice long finish. (3185 views) | | | Tasted by amauryc1 on 4/24/2016 & rated 90 points: This is my first time tasting a Phillipe Melka wine from his own label.
I opened the bottle into a decanter based on other reviews but saved some to try straight out of the bottle. The wine had a dark purple core with a light garnet rim with. The aroma was surprisingly green and herbaceous for a 2012 which are usually ripe with tons of red and blue fruit depending on the area. The palate had lots of green herbs, with hints of some bitter cherry; the lift from the acid and fine grained tannins gave me hope so I left it alone in the decanter for another hour. My guess is that Melka is sourcing this grapes from Southern Napa areas like Oak Knoll or Coombsville based on the cooler weather characteristics of the wine.
The next time I tried it 90 minutes later the wine had completely changed (thank god for time and oxigen). There were still hints of green but cherry's, plums, and some blueberry and cedar had begun to show. The wine was round with nice red fruit, small amounts of sage, tobacco and hints of cassis lifted by lots of acid and strong but fine tannis that led to a long semi sweet finish. The wine continue to evolve over the next two hours to show some tobacco and licorice and nice complexity for a young wine. Very bordeaux in style but is to be expected from someone who worked at Haute Brion
If I had another bottle I would let it sit for another 2-3 years. Lots of nice fruit, acid and tannins that need to integrate. (4156 views) | | | Tasted by andrewdodd86 on 4/12/2016 & rated 93 points: Good, dark blue fruit, pepper, touch green in a good way, enjoyable (3123 views) | | | Tasted by vancouvermatt on 4/10/2016 & rated 93 points: Delicious now with a decant, though a bit heavy handed with the oak. Polished tannins (2786 views) | | | Tasted by wineotim on 2/9/2016 & rated 91 points: Too soft and oaky for me, needs more acid and tannic structure. The '10 CJ was more complex and structured. The '12 CJ reminds me of my recent review of '12 Round Pond, tastes and feels identical. (3035 views) | | | Tasted by pinot_noir_caviar on 12/24/2015 & rated 91 points: My wife was not as impressed as this is a blend. Overall masterfully made. It was young and needed to decant to get the wine (2336 views) | | | Tasted by BeaverBob on 11/8/2015 & rated 92 points: Beautiful, warm, outstanding. (1844 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Melka Producer websiteCabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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