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Owen Bargreen

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Great photo of Cherie and Philippe Melka, proprietors of Melka Estates.

Great photo of Cherie and Philippe Melka, proprietors of Melka Estates.

Melka Estates

December 30, 2020

A sensational boutique winery out of Napa, Melka Estates relies on the talents of Philippe and Cherie Melka. Melka Estates is a limited production winery that sources from some exciting new vineyards including La Mekerra in Sonoma and Jumping Goat in Napa Valley. The wines show incredible richness and terroir as they are sourced from warm vintages and stay true to their respective. A remarkable winemaking and consulting talent, Philippe Melka is a Bordeaux native that has a master’s degree in enology. He has a long resume, with previous stops at Château Haut Brion, as well as Dominus Estate and various stops in Australia and even Chateau Petrus. He has been in Napa on a full time basis since 1994 and has served as consulting winemaker at some of the great wineries in Napa, Sonoma and Washington State. Philippe is truly one of the great consulting winemakers in the world. Philippe partners with his wife, Cherie, to craft the Melka Estate wines. She also has a highly impressive resume with previous stops at BV and Silver Oak prior to starting Melka Wines. She handles all business decisions for Melka as well as helps with the blending. 

The Melkas have crafted some new releases that were simply marvelous, coming from the warm, 2015 vintage in Napa and Sonoma. One of the great Merlots in California from the Knight’s Valley, the 2017 Melka Estates ‘Mekerra La Mekerra Vineyard’ Merlot (OB, 96) has insanely good dark fruits and a silky smooth texture. This memorable wine will cellar well for the next two decades. I was absolutely blown away with the 2016 Melka Estates ‘Metisse’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 96) which is intense and massive, having another two decades of aging potential. This winery is quite simply on a roll. Learn more at https://www.melkaestates.com Here are my reviews of the new Melka Estates wines. 



2017 Melka Estates ‘CJ’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 ‘CJ’ is a great blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller parts Merlot, Petit. Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Gorgeous dark florals mingle with allspice, black licorice and tones of Turkish coffee on this beautiful bouquet. The palate shows great acidity with layers of dark fruits that mingle with coffee ground and scorched earth tones. The ‘CJ’ is really great in its youth and has another decade or more to go. Drink 2020-2033- 93



2017 Melka Estates ‘Mekerra La Mekerra Vineyard’ Red Wine- The ‘Mekerra’ red wine was sourced from the Knight’s Valley and spent 22 months in French oak (60% new) prior to bottling. This opens with a deep core of dark firm tannins holding everything together neatly. Ripe figs and dark currants come to mind, with espresso bean and loamy soils rounding everything out. Gorgeous now, this has many years in the cellar to go. Be sure to give this a two hour decant if enjoying in its youth. Drink 2020-2035- 96



2017 Melka Estates ‘Metisse Jumping Goat Vineyard’ Red Wine- Cherie and Philippe Melka has sourced this outstanding new bottling from the ‘Jumping Goat Vineyard’ as this blends nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (92%) with the remainder Petit Verdot. Right away the deep floral aromatics catch your attention with mocha, tar and dusty soils that all take shape in the glass. The palate is deep and layered with a silky texture. Ripe black cherry and creme de cassis tones collide with minerals, creosote and pipe tobacco on the palate. Really good even so young this beautiful wine could use another two years in the bottle for everything to fully establish. Drink 2022-2040- 96



Melka Estates 2018 Majestique Syrah.jpg

2018 Melka Estates ‘Majestique’ Syrah- Cherie and Phillipe Melka has now been sourcing from the ‘Paderewski Vineyard’ for several years. This wine is quite simply Paso Robles at its finest. Inky and deep once in the glass, this takes on chocolate cake tones alongside tar and black licorice with black olive tapenade tones rounding out this evocative nose. The palate is deep, intense and downright delicious. Not only quite massive, but the err of freshness with a light salinity imparted is really impressive. Deep dark currants and black cherry cordial mingle with coffee ground flavors on the palate. Utterly sensational in its youth, this has another fifteen years of life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2033-  96

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