Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Out of bottle, the 2007 Melbury is even more impressive than it was from barrel. Aromas of cedarwood, barbecue spice, licorice, spring flowers, black currants and sweet kirsch jump from the glass of this dense purple-colored wine. A full-bodied texture, wonderful opulence, sweet velvety tannins and an extraordinary integration of all its component parts make for a prodigious Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the next 25-30+ years.
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James Suckling
Wonderful aromas of sage, mint, dark berries, and carroway. Full bodied, with layers of dark berries and dark chocolate that lead up to an intense finish. They don't make wines like this anymore. Powerful and nostalgic. Let this sleep for another 6 years. Start pulling the cork in 2016.
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Wine Spectator
Firm, intense and vibrant, with dense, vivid wild berry, raspberry and blackberry fruit that's ripe, tight and framed by toasty, cedary oak flavors. Full-bodied, ending with chewy tannins, this needs both time and aeration. The most reserved of the Bond wines. To be released spring 2011. Best from 2012 through 2022.
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.