Community Tasting Notes 26

• mdvillaverde Likes this wine: 93 points

  September 10, 2022 - 14.8% abv. A very hot nose with strong licorice notes. Dense, polished, bright fruit. Good acidity. Cedar, raspberry notes. Nice long finish.

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• sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

  August 9, 2022 - Last of 6 and first in the past 14 months from an auction lot I’ve enjoyed immensely. The deliciousness factor of this wine is off the charts, right there with the best I’ve had, which didn’t seem foreordained when I had the first bottle 3+ years ago and the structure was already fully integrated. In the interim, this has become a wine that’s good to go off the opening, and it’s possible that the delineation and intensity have lost half a step, but it’s still just as good on night 2 as night 1, and while I wouldn’t sleep on it if holding more, I wouldn’t necessarily worry about drinking it in the next 24 hours if I had more (and would order more, even while drinking expeditiously, if offered the chance). As an aside, I’ve had tremendous experiences with this vintage, as good as any in the great ‘04-‘10 run (now largely forgotten with the arguably better, if shorter, ‘12-‘16 run).
  
  This was one of the first Phillippe Melka bottlings I drank, although I had several AOs and other stuff lying around, but I’ve had a Tusk (and as referenced in one of my TNs, it did in fact come from cs; thank you, kind sir!) and numerous VVs, and while all different bottlings and wineries (obviously) and more recent vintages all were notable for giant tannic structure, which hasn’t been present in this wine, making me wonder if this was a totally different creature in its youth than its relative senescence. Well, one way or another, it’s been a pleasure, and I’ll have to look for more data points. An easy 95 if scoring.

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• sfwinelover1 wrote:

  June 21, 2021 - Fifth of 6 from the auction lot of about 2 years ago, and, to use the malapropism of a former president, I think I misunderestimated this wine. When I had the first bottle, which I didn't air out, although I really enjoyed it, I found it on the edge of extraction, a bit boozy and with underlying notes of prune to go with the cherries, cassis and blackberries, making me ponder if this was on the edge of oxidation. Four bottles and 2 years later, I've concluded that it's just the style of the bottling--perhaps Melka's house style--and in fact, with about 90 minutes of air, the extraction and booziness in fact integrate pretty well, which, when combined with otherwise effusive fruit, fabulous secondary notes and just enough tannic structure, make for a really great drink in this style, one which I can enjoy immensely, even if I have no desire or ability to consume it every night. Super pleased I bought this lot at what I paid for it and will look for more Melka wines going forward (although if I'm going to drink a Tusk, I'll probably have to rely on the generosity of strangers!). 95 if scoring.

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• mdvillaverde wrote: flawed

  December 12, 2020 - Didn't seem right. Going to assume got fried at some point. Cork was fine.

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• sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

  May 19, 2020 - Bottle 3 of 6. Gave this 60-75+ minutes of air, which it appreciated. Consistent TNs with 8/19. Powerful and impressively complex, subtlety may not be the first word that comes to mind with this bottling, but this is absolutely delicious (or, as one of my favorite CT writers might say, fun). Really impressive persistence and intensity after air and on night 2 gives me the sense that this may not be as late in its drinking window as I initially thought, even with low acidity and improvement from here unlikely. If scoring, 94-95. Rock on, Philippe Melka.

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Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2005
• Type Red
• Producer Vineyard 29
• Varietal Cabernet Sauvignon
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Aida Estate
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Napa Valley
• Appellation St. Helena
• UPC Codes 090075336517, 3760076820045

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 555 (63%)
• Consumed 321 (37%)

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