Melanson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard emerges mostly from upper blocks on this site, a striking hillside that faces Colgin, where the steep exposure can yield wines of tremendous pedigree. That is exactly what comes through here. Inky red/purplish fruit, spice, rose petal, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco meld together effortlessly, with silky tannins that wrap it all up. Bold and luscious, but with tremendous nuance, the Melanson Cabernet is a total stunner in 2018. As I have written in the past, farming here has improved tremendously in recent years. This is another superb example of the quality that this site is capable of. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown gave the 2018 a relatively short 10 days on the skins. I imagine he thought the site would take care of the rest. It's hard to argue with that. The 2018 is off the charts great. Don't miss it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2021)

Disgracefully good. Drum tight. Leave this for a little while. Better still, leave it for me!!!
Another selection from @Joe Lucca’s cellar 🙂

A different beast than the Panek. This felt more balanced. The core of this had a similar fruit profile of blue and black fruits, but it had more charcoal, cedar, graphite to it for an added complexity. Between the two, I’d definitely hold this one longer.

Full-on Napa strip tease, with all the assets on show. Jam compote, coffee and maple syrup. So extravagant, it’s obscene. As @Carl Fischer described it, “an embarrassment of riches.”
Gifted by @Carl Fischer. Thank you kind sir.

Every now and then you get a wine that grabs your attention. This bottle does just that. Can smell it four foot away from the decanter-tar and exotic spice whiff of asphalt, hint of green that blows off. So balanced nothing jumps out on the palate. Fresh and bright on the palate-Currant, licorice, graphite and loamy earth envelope the palate. Finish gives hints of French oak then tames with soft creasing tannins. Wonderful!

My reward for the 1:49:55 finish in the NYC Half Marathon (and for beating my fundraising goal toward cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital!). My prior score and notes on this remain consistent. I just LOVE this wine.

There's nothing more I can add to my recent review of this wine. I just LOVE it and decided it would be perfect for the playoffs (#PatsNation!). This stuff is so good it even has the dogs begging for some 😜.

This photo's for you @Martin G Rivard 😂 - as I went to put this in the recycle bin I thought of your photo and couldn't help myself. As to the wine - wow wow wow. I had tried this at an event over the summer with Donna Walker (who was lovely) and it is better than I remembered. Decanted for 4 hours. Massively opulent and Pritchard Hill to its core - concentrated, big fruit is the star here (mostly what I got were blackberries) with some slight earthiness mixed in. While the tannins are quite strong even after the decant, there was a nice acidity to balance them out (helped also by a decent amount of time in barrel) - this didn't come across as overly tannic to me. It had a silky smooth, rich mouthfeel that was incredible. Every sip was followed with a smile - the last wine I had that elicited a similar reaction was the '07 Hundred Acre Deep Time (thanks to @Mike Rowe) which still is pretty much the best wine I've ever had. This is a close second to me.

Ripe and rich

Nice fruit, very extracted but very light in color (bright red rim with darker core). Oak dominant now but may show well in a few years.