I rated this wine a 95 in 2013 and 93 in 2018, and the present day score reflects it's natural evolution as it approaches the end of it's drinking window. No need for another long note, just still a great bottle that will be enjoyable for another five year for sure. Had a wonderful nose of cassis, blueberry, and tobacco with soft tannins. Love this winemaker.
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Relax, sit back, and let CJ take you for a ride. The nose is berry intensive, both dark and red. The first sip is smooth and delicate, just a hint of structure in the distance. Raspberry, blackberry, tobacco. Wait a minute or two before your second sip and then a wonderful development of tannins creates a boldness that was absent from the first sip. This continues to build over the following 20 minutes or so until you realize that the sip you are taking now was nothing like the first. I realize some wines do this, but the CJ experience is wonderful. And for the price point, one of the best QPR I have had in a while.
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I rated this wine a 95 back in 2013 and was very happy to see that is has aged gracefully, though I probably overrated it a bit back then. Still showing a nice dark purple/red, the nose still has abundant forest fruit with a nice element of earthy tobacco to round it out. Tannins are fading a bit but acidity surprisingly high leads me to believe this wine still has some age to it. I initially thought perhaps a 2028 wine, so I'd dial that back to maybe 2023 or so (yes, it's inexact of course) but still yet another top notch effort from one of the best winemakers in California today. Melka CJ is best California cab for the money today.
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Dronks like very high quality Cab from the early 2000's. Lots of secondary notes of leather, redwood, and earth. Primary notes of sweet tobacco, chocolate syrup, and blackberry jam. Drinking at or around peak today and for likely 2 more years.
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Decanted. Very fruity and primary on the nose, but the palate is a sophisticated chocolate mousse, baked berry, and briar. Gets better with about 2 hours of decant.
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Opened, decanted it but began drinking it immediately. The nose is wonderful and very expressive. Still a lot of fruit on the mid-palate. The finish is nice but a little on the short side. This is a great bottle of wine especially for the price.
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Bright, clear garnet. Strong aromas of sweet blackberries, cassis, plum, cinnamon, cedar, and earth. Medium/full bodied with flavors of sweet blackberries, cassis, plums, bittersweet chocolate, and soy sauce with a slightly bitter finish of medium length. Still structured and absolutely delicious with a T-bone steak!
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Another oustanding effort by Phillipe. Beautiful colour, opened up nicely with an amazingly strong yet elegant structure that brings together the best California fruit with his Bordeaux pedigree. The wine is beautifully balanced - leads me to believe it will age gracefully for at least 10-15 years. I'd put his wines right next to, say, Montebello or Dominus and would serve this to those who doubt that California can only produce one dimensional cabs. I have not tasted his 2007 Metisse, will be interesting to see if it's even better.
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Served it at a party after some rose wine. Garnet color, black berries, cherries. Very smooth tannin, tastes seamless and round, not a typical napa cab. The bottle had some sediments.
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Good solid cabernet. Might not hold on for much longer, I think it reached its peak. Good acidity, good tanin structure, good fruit. It´s ok at $50, it shows its pedigree to some point.
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At Rough Creek. Drinking much better than most 2007 cabs at this point. More open. A little light, more like Bordeaux blend than pure cab. Nice finish and even better nose. Tannins somewhat strong.
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Dark purple in the glass. Nose of tobacco, licorice, and dried flowers. Thinner on the palate than expected. Black fruit, forest floor, licorice, and pepper on the palate. Thin mid palate and medium finish. Acidity is refreshing.
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Decanted an hour or so. Served with braised veal osso bucco. Cocoa, black fruit and a touch of smoke on the nose. Firm tannins, with nice fruit but the tannins do overwhelm the fruit on its' own. With food, the tannins are subdued. Very well structured, with a good finish. This is a nice, dark, dusty and fruity wine. I'm a fan.
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Good well rounded Cab, a bit light on fruit and a good tannin. Will likely become a bit messy with age, but is drinking well now. We left it open for an hour before drinking on the recommendation from a friend, and it drank quite well.
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Decanted, got silky over an hours time- but starts to lose it's structure. Drink up, probably just pour in the glass and let it air that way. Very nice napa cab.
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Plum, cassis and black cherries jump out of the glass. Smooth tannins and a mouthfeel that invites the next sip. We blinked and the bottle was gone. Style is made to drink now. Since it is in a good place, I plan on drinking these. Could be a risk of getting flabby with time. Nice structure now.
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Made to drink. Full packed of fruit with a touch of coffee. Jammy grapes, cherries and blackberries galor and nice wewight to the wine. This is quite young and will get better. Drinks much better than its $50 price.
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Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of thistle, licorice, black berries, plums and light notes of currants. Flavors of currants, plums, black berries and black cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink now with air or continue to hold into the medium term.
Boerne Wine Club - Cab/Chardonnay (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX): Muted candied nose with some raspberry and current. Lush low acidity palate, very strong fruit and oak character on the palate with a penetrating creme brulee/vanilla flavor that carried on through the finish. Sweet plush tannins, thick and heavy mouthfeel. As the wine opened heat was very prominent and distracting on the finish. Fine, but not my style.
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Big Brand vs. Boutique (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had licorice and smoke, black currant and earth. The palate was thick and rich, with black currant and raspberry liqueur, earth, and a licorice finish.
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Aromatically - clearly napa, toasty strawberry ruebarb, very clean aromas. On the palate medium density, lively acid and a bit of dusty tannin. Overall an enjoyable wine for the price point. 90-91
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To me this is what most wineries in Napa seem to churn out in terms of style ... overripe plummy cabs. A bit harsh and disjoint, with rough tannins. Disagree with the other note that said this is a French-styled wine, because it is quite the opposite as it lacks any earth / mineral / leather / tobacco / smoke / dirt.
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I'm a huge Melka fan and I wanted to like this wine more. The flavors are kinda all over the place (another way of saying "complex", I guess). Tobacco and Juicy Fruit bubble gum. It is more of a French style and I just don't like (okay, have not learned to appreciate) French wines. Having said all that, it probably taste better "to me" than any French wine sitting in any cellar in France right now. Would buy more if I could get a better discount but at $50 I'll pass for the traditional California style I prefer.
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2/7/2024 - Mitch683 wrote:
Best like Jarvis dark and juicy
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2/3/2022 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 Points
I rated this wine a 95 in 2013 and 93 in 2018, and the present day score reflects it's natural evolution as it approaches the end of it's drinking window. No need for another long note, just still a great bottle that will be enjoyable for another five year for sure. Had a wonderful nose of cassis, blueberry, and tobacco with soft tannins. Love this winemaker.
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7/24/2021 - DonWinspear Likes this wine: 93 Points
Relax, sit back, and let CJ take you for a ride. The nose is berry intensive, both dark and red. The first sip is smooth and delicate, just a hint of structure in the distance. Raspberry, blackberry, tobacco. Wait a minute or two before your second sip and then a wonderful development of tannins creates a boldness that was absent from the first sip. This continues to build over the following 20 minutes or so until you realize that the sip you are taking now was nothing like the first. I realize some wines do this, but the CJ experience is wonderful. And for the price point, one of the best QPR I have had in a while.
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2/3/2020 - BOM Likes this wine: 93 Points
Awesome.
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10/19/2018 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 93 Points
I rated this wine a 95 back in 2013 and was very happy to see that is has aged gracefully, though I probably overrated it a bit back then. Still showing a nice dark purple/red, the nose still has abundant forest fruit with a nice element of earthy tobacco to round it out. Tannins are fading a bit but acidity surprisingly high leads me to believe this wine still has some age to it. I initially thought perhaps a 2028 wine, so I'd dial that back to maybe 2023 or so (yes, it's inexact of course) but still yet another top notch effort from one of the best winemakers in California today. Melka CJ is best California cab for the money today.
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5/31/2016 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 92 Points
Dronks like very high quality Cab from the early 2000's. Lots of secondary notes of leather, redwood, and earth. Primary notes of sweet tobacco, chocolate syrup, and blackberry jam. Drinking at or around peak today and for likely 2 more years.
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10/31/2015 - cawineaux Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted. Very fruity and primary on the nose, but the palate is a sophisticated chocolate mousse, baked berry, and briar. Gets better with about 2 hours of decant.
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4/11/2015 - stconner Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened, decanted it but began drinking it immediately. The nose is wonderful and very expressive. Still a lot of fruit on the mid-palate. The finish is nice but a little on the short side. This is a great bottle of wine especially for the price.
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2/15/2015 - LaiJien Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright, clear garnet. Strong aromas of sweet blackberries, cassis, plum, cinnamon, cedar, and earth. Medium/full bodied with flavors of sweet blackberries, cassis, plums, bittersweet chocolate, and soy sauce with a slightly bitter finish of medium length. Still structured and absolutely delicious with a T-bone steak!
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10/4/2014 - bugdoced wrote: 84 Points
started off lovely but dissipated after about 15 minutes in the glass to a bitterness at the end that I did not care for
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12/23/2013 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 95 Points
Another oustanding effort by Phillipe. Beautiful colour, opened up nicely with an amazingly strong yet elegant structure that brings together the best California fruit with his Bordeaux pedigree. The wine is beautifully balanced - leads me to believe it will age gracefully for at least 10-15 years. I'd put his wines right next to, say, Montebello or Dominus and would serve this to those who doubt that California can only produce one dimensional cabs. I have not tasted his 2007 Metisse, will be interesting to see if it's even better.
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12/14/2013 - rayphillips wrote: flawed
Corked
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7/30/2013 - XYTD Likes this wine: 91 Points
Served it at a party after some rose wine. Garnet color, black berries, cherries. Very smooth tannin, tastes seamless and round, not a typical napa cab. The bottle had some sediments.
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6/8/2013 - wren460 wrote: 90 Points
Good Napa cab. For some reason I find it like a blend between Napa and Bordeaux. Nothing out of this world, but it is a very well made wine.
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5/8/2013 - timdrex Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice fruit, solid tannic structure. 91 points might be a little high, but this wine is certainly worth the $50 price point.
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12/30/2012 - wren460 wrote: 90 Points
Good solid cabernet. Might not hold on for much longer, I think it reached its peak. Good acidity, good tanin structure, good fruit. It´s ok at $50, it shows its pedigree to some point.
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11/22/2012 - fournet wrote: 90 Points
At Rough Creek. Drinking much better than most 2007 cabs at this point. More open. A little light, more like Bordeaux blend than pure cab. Nice finish and even better nose. Tannins somewhat strong.
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8/20/2012 - LaiJien Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep garnet – sweet candied blackberries, violets, full-bodied, sweet leather, vanilla.
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9/24/2011 - Dnjhansen wrote: 89 Points
Smooth, berry, good balance, fruit mid pallet, with a long finish of cocoa and vanilla.
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9/18/2011 - cawineaux wrote: 90 Points
Dark purple in the glass. Nose of tobacco, licorice, and dried flowers. Thinner on the palate than expected. Black fruit, forest floor, licorice, and pepper on the palate. Thin mid palate and medium finish. Acidity is refreshing.
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11/6/2010 - ShaneO wrote: 92 Points
Decanted an hour or so. Served with braised veal osso bucco. Cocoa, black fruit and a touch of smoke on the nose. Firm tannins, with nice fruit but the tannins do overwhelm the fruit on its' own. With food, the tannins are subdued. Very well structured, with a good finish. This is a nice, dark, dusty and fruity wine. I'm a fan.
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9/4/2010 - Kaizah wrote: 94 Points
This could use a bit more time in the bottle, but ready to go with some light decanting.
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8/17/2010 - Carnesman wrote: 86 Points
Good well rounded Cab, a bit light on fruit and a good tannin. Will likely become a bit messy with age, but is drinking well now. We left it open for an hour before drinking on the recommendation from a friend, and it drank quite well.
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8/7/2010 - difran wrote: 90 Points
Decanted, got silky over an hours time- but starts to lose it's structure. Drink up, probably just pour in the glass and let it air that way. Very nice napa cab.
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7/8/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 92 Points
Plum, cassis and black cherries jump out of the glass. Smooth tannins and a mouthfeel that invites the next sip. We blinked and the bottle was gone. Style is made to drink now. Since it is in a good place, I plan on drinking these. Could be a risk of getting flabby with time. Nice structure now.
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4/16/2010 - rdsboca wrote: 94 Points
Made to drink. Full packed of fruit with a touch of coffee. Jammy grapes, cherries and blackberries galor and nice wewight to the wine. This is quite young and will get better. Drinks much better than its $50 price.
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3/27/2010 - wineismylife wrote: 91 Points
Saturdays at One - Volume 15: WIML91
Dark garnet to purple color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of thistle, licorice, black berries, plums and light notes of currants. Flavors of currants, plums, black berries and black cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannins, medium to full bodied. Drink now with air or continue to hold into the medium term.
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3/27/2010 - Nutty08 wrote: 89 Points
Boerne Wine Club - Cab/Chardonnay (Scenic Loop Cafe, San Antonio, TX): Muted candied nose with some raspberry and current. Lush low acidity palate, very strong fruit and oak character on the palate with a penetrating creme brulee/vanilla flavor that carried on through the finish. Sweet plush tannins, thick and heavy mouthfeel. As the wine opened heat was very prominent and distracting on the finish. Fine, but not my style.
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3/27/2010 - mmurry Likes this wine: 89 Points
Big Brand vs. Boutique (Farpointe Cellar): The nose had licorice and smoke, black currant and earth. The palate was thick and rich, with black currant and raspberry liqueur, earth, and a licorice finish.
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3/18/2010 - Harrypotter wrote:
Aromatically - clearly napa, toasty strawberry ruebarb, very clean aromas. On the palate medium density, lively acid and a bit of dusty tannin. Overall an enjoyable wine for the price point. 90-91
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3/12/2010 - Hazeo wrote: 87 Points
To me this is what most wineries in Napa seem to churn out in terms of style ... overripe plummy cabs. A bit harsh and disjoint, with rough tannins. Disagree with the other note that said this is a French-styled wine, because it is quite the opposite as it lacks any earth / mineral / leather / tobacco / smoke / dirt.
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3/11/2010 - savjrb2012 wrote: 91 Points
Good wine just young in my opinion.
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12/30/2009 - communion wrote: 89 Points
I'm a huge Melka fan and I wanted to like this wine more. The flavors are kinda all over the place (another way of saying "complex", I guess). Tobacco and Juicy Fruit bubble gum. It is more of a French style and I just don't like (okay, have not learned to appreciate) French wines. Having said all that, it probably taste better "to me" than any French wine sitting in any cellar in France right now. Would buy more if I could get a better discount but at $50 I'll pass for the traditional California style I prefer.
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