2001 Bond Vineyards Melbury California Red

2001 Bond Vineyards Melbury

98 RP

Featured Review

The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Melbury (a dead ringer for Pauillac) has an opaque blue/purple color and an extraordinarily sweet nose of charcoal, lead pencil shavings, cedar wood, black currants, licorice and spice box. Full-bodied, with great intensity, purity and texture, this is a wonderfully dense, full-throttle wine that is still an adolescent and likely to stay one for at least another 5-7 years. Look for it to age gracefully well past 20-30+ years. Robert Parker

Robert Parker | 98 RP

Healthy dark red-ruby. Very suave, complex, claret-like scents of redcurrant, plum, tobacco, smoke, dried flowers and loam. Then bright and delineated on the palate, projecting outstanding vinosity to its wonderfully subtle flavors of dark raspberry, plum, minerals and spices. This very intense, subtle, long midweight still has some unwinding to do, but it's showing spectacularly today.

Vinous Media | 97 VM

Has stunning fruit, for starters. Sheer, pure, concentrated nose of cassis and cherry. Subtle oak in the background, lending vanilla, toast and caramel nuances. Fabulous texture and weight, fine as velvet. Magnificently lush, full-bodied. Fantastic finish. Drink now through 2015.

Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

Only ever so slightly starting to unfold from its tannic slumber; this is still dense and chewy, but offering more depth to the blackberry, black licorice, roasted herb and game flavors and ending with a solid wall of tannin that lets the fruit seep through.—2001 California Cabernet blind retrospective (June 2011). Drink now through 2025. 700 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Type of Wine	California Red : Whether it's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Zinfandel, Californian red wine producers have a lovely habit of taking a varietal and expressing its essence in a unique, never before seen way. From Napa Valley to the regions south of Los Angeles, there's a red for everyone - and it's never too late to start exploring.
Varietal	Proprietary Blend : Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend.
Country	US : As one of the most prolific and innovative wine regions in the world, America is a joy to explore. Most wine connoisseurs will agree that the nation's finest and most compelling wines are being produced today, which means that we have front-row seats to one of the most inspirational stories in wine history. While other regions tend to focus on specific wine styles and have somewhat strict rules as to which varietals you could grow, areas like California have few such restrictions in place. As a result, creative visionaries behind America's most reputable estates have been able to develop compelling, unique, and innovative styles, with a level of terroir expression that rivals even France's largest giants.
Region	California : With a history of wine production that dates back to the 18th century, California currently sits as one of the world's most prolific and reputable wine regions. With an area as vast as California, you can expect a colorful collage of terroir profiles, a series of microclimates, and micro-environments that give the wine a unique, memorable appeal. The region's produce is far from homogenized in that sense, and it would take you countless hours to sample all of it. While the region boasts scars from the Prohibition era, it went through what can only be described as a viticultural Renaissance sometime after the 1960s. At that point, California went from a port-style, sweet wine region to a versatile and compelling competitor on the world market. Today, no matter which way your taste in wine leans, you can find a new favorite producer among California's most talented. Notable sub-regions include legendary names like Napa Valley and Sonoma County, places that any wine lover would die to visit. California's quintessential warm climate allows for incredibly ripe fruit expressions, a style that provides a stark contrast to Old World-inspired, earthy classics. Even where inspiration was clearly taken from staple French appellations, Californian winemakers put their own unique spin on the wine.