All day decant, drank over 3 hours at a tasting with JimAronson and Mark1NPT. Really nice classic cab Nose of Cassis with a hint of dry hay. Well resolved on the palette with a decent amount of dry tannins.
Overall, a quality wine, easily identifiable as Napa cabernet. 94 verging on 95 for me. HMC
Part of a walk around tasting at Alpine Country Club. It was toward the end of the evening and I had to drive, so I only had this wine out of the Zakin lineup. Glad I made space for this: it’s fabulous. I hope I never get bored of example after example of stunning 2019 Napa cabs. This is another one, and it’s not boring: nice sweet spice, generous dark fruit. Turns out Philip Melka is the winemaker here. I have tasted other Melka wines and this does not have the same style. So I was intrigued to see this other aspect of his efforts. Score: 94-95. Relative to expectations: +++
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I believe I’m the first to taste this. I hosted Jan Zakin at my imperial palace. These wines keep getting better. This was accessible after an hour in the decanter. This is reminiscent of the 18 and 14. This should reach prime in the next 3-5 years and last for 15. Great balance and finish. The 2nd label 2019 is the best second label yet. Cheers to the team at Zakin.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/1/2024 - HowellMountainCru Likes this wine: 94 Points
All day decant, drank over 3 hours at a tasting with JimAronson and Mark1NPT. Really nice classic cab Nose of Cassis with a hint of dry hay. Well resolved on the palette with a decent amount of dry tannins.
Overall, a quality wine, easily identifiable as Napa cabernet. 94 verging on 95 for me. HMC
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
10/28/2023 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Part of a walk around tasting at Alpine Country Club. It was toward the end of the evening and I had to drive, so I only had this wine out of the Zakin lineup. Glad I made space for this: it’s fabulous. I hope I never get bored of example after example of stunning 2019 Napa cabs. This is another one, and it’s not boring: nice sweet spice, generous dark fruit. Turns out Philip Melka is the winemaker here. I have tasted other Melka wines and this does not have the same style. So I was intrigued to see this other aspect of his efforts.
Score: 94-95. Relative to expectations: +++
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2022 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 94 Points
I believe I’m the first to taste this. I hosted Jan Zakin at my imperial palace. These wines keep getting better. This was accessible after an hour in the decanter. This is reminiscent of the 18 and 14. This should reach prime in the next 3-5 years and last for 15. Great balance and finish. The 2nd label 2019 is the best second label yet. Cheers to the team at Zakin.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment