2011 Melka Metisse Jumping Goat Vineyard

(45% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 25% petit verdot; from three acres located adjacent to Spottswoode): Bright red-ruby. Aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, violet, roasted coffee and licorice, accented by fresh herbs and menthol. Savory and truffley on the palate, showing good volume and sweetness from the merlot component, but could use a bit more definition and focus. The lightly saline finish shows dusty, slightly drying tannins. Philippe Melka told me he did "tons of sorting," and that it's rare to see botrytis on cabernet, as in 2011.

The 2011 Metisse Jumping Goat Vineyard is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot. Surprisingly strong for this vintage, it exhibits notes of blue and red fruits, charcoal, white chocolate, coffee bean and wood. Medium to full-bodied with soft, round, ripe, pure fruit notes that linger on the palate, this very fine 2011 can be consumed over the next decade. Philippe Melka is one of the most respected and successful of the French-born, Bordeaux-educated oenologists working in California. He and his wife Cherie have been doing terrific consulting work for many years, and while he no doubt has to face the same absurd criticisms that some of his colleagues like Michel Rolland confront (all the wines taste the same as all of their clients- wines), nothing could be further from the truth. Melka also has the grit to put his own name on a couple of interesting wines, especially his project in the Knights Valley as well as his Jumping Goat Vineyard wine from St. Helena. Melka always jokes with me that I-m not allowed to score his wines higher than his clients-. However, they are what they are, and these are extremely impressive wines that demand to be taken seriously. Melka-s red wine comes from a site not far from where Peter Michael makes their famed Bordeaux blend, Les Pavots. La Mekerra is usually a blend of nearly equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot aged 24-26 months in French oak, of which about half is new. Tel. (707) 963-6008

The 2011 Metisse Jumping Goat Vineyard is one of the biggest, most concentrated 2011s I have tasted so far. Hints of scorched earth, tobacco and spices add complexity to a huge core of dark fruit. In 2011 the blend is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, which is to say the Cabernet is down and the Merlot is up relative to the 2010. The additional Merlot in the blend seems to add gorgeous mid-palate pliancy.