Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of terracotta, clay and plum. Kiln too. Full-bodied with super freshness and balance that then shows an incredible finish with an electrical aftertaste. Vibrant. Tingling. Better in 2018 but so wonderful to taste now. Wow. Makes you want to drink it! This is from a very clay-soiled hillside vineyard.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a 7-acre hillside vineyard overlooking Lake Hennessey, the 2012 Melbury, like its siblings, is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 100% new oak for a minimum of 24 to 28 months, then bottled unfiltered. The wine displays beautiful blackberry fruit, some charcoal, loamy soil undertones, forest notes, lots of spice, a full-bodied, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, and a super finish of 45+ seconds.
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Wine Spectator
Young and unevolved, with dusty, cedary tannins outlining the dried berry, currant, cassis and licorice notes. Ends with a gravelly mouthfeel.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.