Popped and poured. Ten minutes in the glass and this wine was singing. Fully integrated and still plenty of acid. Drink now or hold a few more years, but it’s not getting better.
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Melka Estates Tasting (Napa Grill, Zurich): Big Melka Estates tasting with various wines produced by Philippe and Cherie Melka, both present at the event, including the largest Jumping Goat vertical to date. Selected notes of the winemaker comments included in the tasting story. All wines we tasted showed a European inspired handwriting (Graves, Rhone valley) especially for older vintages with later vintages (2012- 2014) coming across quite heavy on the extraction. But with most scores in the 91-94 range (few exceptions included Jumping Goat 2005 and Martinez 2015, the first vintage for the latter), the line-up struggled to meet my high expectations.
Tasting note: More leathery, some earth and sweet oak notes. Rather restrained, fresh and almost unripe type of fruit. A slight acidic imbalance on the palate.
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My first Melka. Luscious. Dark and brooding in the glass. Alcohol and pine needles on the nose. High toned palate of fruits, spice and minerals in perfect balance. This is well made and terrific. London broil and salad with tomatoes and crumbled blue. Some dark chocolate too. Alot like a top highly toned Santa Cruz Mtn Cab that I love. Next day it became rather one dimensional with the Merlot pencil shavings dominating.
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For me, this is a wine where no food is required. This wine stands on it's on...beautiful color, nose of dark fruit and baking spices. The palate was balanced fruit, acidity, and true varietal characteristics.
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The wine has medium acidity. It smells like cool/menthol, blackberry, black olive, mineral, medium toast and bell pepper. The wine finishes long. It tastes like strawberry and butterscotch. The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. The wine has coarse texture.
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Amazing nose of fresh dark fruit followed by a deep, fruit forward concentration with intense blackberry, licorice and chocolate notes. Despite eight years in the bottle, tannins still very active suggesting this wine has a lot more life to it and will get even better with age. Look forward to drinking the next one!
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very nice Cali cab, more elegant than most with good red and black fruit, some cedar and some umami, tannin was style alive but in amounts that gave grip rather than being intrusive, this is probably at peak believe it or not and my instinct is it won't be as good in 5-7 years (tho i have been wrong about that before), enjoyed but our entire table
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I wish I could keep this secret but, nobody drinking this wine for the first time would believe this to be an American production. Mssr Melka is a genius who crafted a wine that delivers all you love about Bordeaux's left bank and bottles it on our soil. A well integrated effort with soft tannins that give support as flavors of creme cassis, black cherry, and leather dance across the tongue. Simply gorgeous!
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Just stunning. It has dropped a bit of the floral qualities in favor of massive body. Chocolate cherries, tar, tobacco, mocha. Long finish. Seamless and well integrated.
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Much better than last time. Clean beautiful nose of mocha, coffee and dark fruit. Elegant, almost feminine palate, pure fresh fruit, smooth tannin. Medium finish, nothing weird or unpleasant, perhaps lacking somewhat in complexity; a very good drink overall.
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50+5+14+17+8 This was the third bottle I've had of this wine over the past year, and it continues to evolve and integrate. Expressive nose of expresso, rose, and black fruit. Dense and velvety with a near perfect bland of fruit, acid, tannins, just gorgrous. Very drinkable now or hold for many years if you can resist it's allure.
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Such a different expression of cabernet than I've been tasting since in Napa. More lovely than muscular, but still full bodied. Purfumed and floral, and with great fruit.
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9/20/2020 - annerk wrote:
Popped and poured. Ten minutes in the glass and this wine was singing. Fully integrated and still plenty of acid. Drink now or hold a few more years, but it’s not getting better.
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9/15/2019 - RonniePiemonte wrote: 95 Points
Highly toned delicious Bordeaux style blend.
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7/11/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
Melka Estates Tasting (Napa Grill, Zurich): Big Melka Estates tasting with various wines produced by Philippe and Cherie Melka, both present at the event, including the largest Jumping Goat vertical to date. Selected notes of the winemaker comments included in the tasting story. All wines we tasted showed a European inspired handwriting (Graves, Rhone valley) especially for older vintages with later vintages (2012- 2014) coming across quite heavy on the extraction. But with most scores in the 91-94 range (few exceptions included Jumping Goat 2005 and Martinez 2015, the first vintage for the latter), the line-up struggled to meet my high expectations.
Tasting note:
More leathery, some earth and sweet oak notes. Rather restrained, fresh and almost unripe type of fruit. A slight acidic imbalance on the palate.
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4/10/2019 - RonniePiemonte wrote: 95 Points
My first Melka. Luscious. Dark and brooding in the glass. Alcohol and pine needles on the nose. High toned palate of fruits, spice and minerals in perfect balance.
This is well made and terrific. London broil and salad with tomatoes and crumbled blue. Some dark chocolate too.
Alot like a top highly toned Santa Cruz Mtn Cab that I love. Next day it became rather one dimensional with the Merlot pencil shavings dominating.
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4/17/2016 - cawineaux wrote:
For me, this is a wine where no food is required. This wine stands on it's on...beautiful color, nose of dark fruit and baking spices. The palate was balanced fruit, acidity, and true varietal characteristics.
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3/11/2016 - jwolniak wrote: flawed
Three consecutive bottles have been flawed.
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2/11/2016 - difran wrote: 95 Points
The wine has medium acidity. It smells like cool/menthol, blackberry, black olive, mineral, medium toast and bell pepper. The wine finishes long. It tastes like strawberry and butterscotch. The wine looks brick colored. The legs are medium. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. The wine has coarse texture.
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10/19/2014 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing nose of fresh dark fruit followed by a deep, fruit forward concentration with intense blackberry, licorice and chocolate notes. Despite eight years in the bottle, tannins still very active suggesting this wine has a lot more life to it and will get even better with age. Look forward to drinking the next one!
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9/6/2014 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 92 Points
very nice Cali cab, more elegant than most with good red and black fruit, some cedar and some umami, tannin was style alive but in amounts that gave grip rather than being intrusive, this is probably at peak believe it or not and my instinct is it won't be as good in 5-7 years (tho i have been wrong about that before), enjoyed but our entire table
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6/18/2014 - Hawtdawg wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured over 2 nights. Perfectly balanced, almost seamless like. Held strong both nights.
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10/20/2012 - A&C wrote: 94 Points
This was excellent. Extremely well made wine. I loved the toffee notes. This is aging incredibly well.
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8/31/2012 - ntrubee wrote: 93 Points
Prior reviews spot on. Dark, almost black. Amazing floral nose. Nice acidity on open..very smooth second night. Wish I had more.
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5/25/2012 - Tmurphrey wrote: 95 Points
Black fruit nose, dark inky color. This wine was even better than a year ago. One of the best napa valley cabs around
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12/22/2011 - ralphdandrea Likes this wine: 95 Points
I would open another bottle of this wine just to experience its aroma. The nose is amazing!
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10/21/2011 - drcoop wrote: 96 Points
I wish I could keep this secret but, nobody drinking this wine for the first time would believe this to be an American production. Mssr Melka is a genius who crafted a wine that delivers all you love about Bordeaux's left bank and bottles it on our soil. A well integrated effort with soft tannins that give support as flavors of creme cassis, black cherry, and leather dance across the tongue. Simply gorgeous!
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4/23/2011 - Colia wrote: 94 Points
Just stunning. It has dropped a bit of the floral qualities in favor of massive body. Chocolate cherries, tar, tobacco, mocha. Long finish. Seamless and well integrated.
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2/4/2011 - tripkirby wrote: 93 Points
Much better than last time. Clean beautiful nose of mocha, coffee and dark fruit. Elegant, almost feminine palate, pure fresh fruit, smooth tannin. Medium finish, nothing weird or unpleasant, perhaps lacking somewhat in complexity; a very good drink overall.
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9/2/2010 - bdgale wrote: 93 Points
Should have decanted longer, but still was very good.
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6/20/2010 - annerk wrote: 94 Points
50+5+14+17+8 This was the third bottle I've had of this wine over the past year, and it continues to evolve and integrate. Expressive nose of expresso, rose, and black fruit. Dense and velvety with a near perfect bland of fruit, acid, tannins, just gorgrous. Very drinkable now or hold for many years if you can resist it's allure.
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2/7/2010 - wishiwereking wrote: 92 Points
too young at this point but, tremendous potential
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1/24/2010 - Colia wrote: 93 Points
Such a different expression of cabernet than I've been tasting since in Napa. More lovely than muscular, but still full bodied. Purfumed and floral, and with great fruit.
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