Melka Metisse (Le Chatelet Vineyard) 2006
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This is the inaugural vintage of our first ever-produced French wine that brings us back to
Philippe's roots in France. The vineyard is located on a beautiful site next to Beausejour Becot.
The soils of limestone and clay allow us to create a unique blend that will surely satisfy
the most discerning of French palates.
Barrel fermentations are instrumental to the integration and softness of the fruit resulting in a bouquet of crushed minerals, new saddle leather and bright cherry fruit.This medium bodied, earthy St. Emilion boasts a round and supple texture with a nice spicy finish. A charming wine that demonstrates good purity.
Blend: 92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Metisse is a somewhat softer, more up-front version of the 2005, with a dark ruby/purple color, dense, concentrated, rich fruit flavors, real style and elegance, and serious power and richness with supple tannins, low acidity, yet a graceful mouthfeel with tremendous purity and length. This is a beauty. The 2005 will be at its best over the next two decades. The 2006 should drink well when released and evolve for 15 or more years. Some other good news is that Philippe Melka is now making around 200 cases of St.-Emilion from a vineyard just below Beausejour-Becot. Rating 93-95.
-
Wine Spectator
Still youthful, elegant and refined, offering pure, rich fruit notes that gain depth and complexity, with nuanced wilted rose, dark berry, blueberry, sage and tea flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.—2006 California Cabernet blind retrospective (December 2015). Drink now. 475 cases made.
Other Vintages
2005-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
St. Helena is in the heart of the Napa Valley, nestled between Calistoga to the north and Rutherford on its southern border. On its western side, the Mayacamas Mountains guard it from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean; to its east stand the Vaca Mountains. In conjunction, these mountain ranges serve to lock in summer daytime heat. But in the evening, cool air from the San Pablo Bay funnels up through the valley, creating very chilly nights. It isn’t uncommon for temperatures to drop 50 degrees, a shift that promotes a balance of sugar ripeness and acidity in wine grapes.
St. Helena contains a plethora of different soil types in a small area, which have been enhanced over centuries by rain runoff from both mountain ranges. Its vineyards cover a variety of terrain, spreading across the bucolic valley floor and its benchlands.
These ideal topographic and climatic growing conditions easily caught the attention of early winemaking pioneers. In fact, St. Helena is the birthplace of Napa Valley’s commercial wine industry. Dr. Crane founded his cellar in 1859, David Fulton in 1860 and Charles Krug in 1861.
Today there are no less than 400 separate vineyards planted within the 12,000 acres that make up the St. Helena appellation.
Revered most for its red wines based on Bordeaux varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, the St. Helena appellation is also a source of superior Syrah, Zinfandel and Sauvignon blanc.