Sonoma Archives - Iconica https://iconica.wine/region/sonoma/ Appreciating Fine Wine Tue, 18 Feb 2025 11:46:05 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://i0.wp.com/iconica.wine/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/cropped-Iconica-Flavicon.webp?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Sonoma Archives - Iconica https://iconica.wine/region/sonoma/ 32 32 254871815 Melka Mekerra Proprietary Red 2016 https://iconica.wine/product/melka-mekerra-proprietary-red-2016/ https://iconica.wine/product/melka-mekerra-proprietary-red-2016/#respond Wed, 30 Oct 2024 11:53:14 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=4199
98 points | Jeb Dunnuck

"The only wine from Sonoma and the first year where the blend includes more Merlot than Cabernet Franc (and Merlot was incredibly successful in 2016), the Melka Mekerra Proprietary Red 2016 is a rocking wine that offers tons of blackcurrants, chocolate, forest floor, and flowery camphor-like notes. Full-bodied, beautifully layered, with building tannins and a great elegance and seamlessness on the palate, it never puts a foot wrong and has a finish that goes on for nearly a minute. A blend of 59% Merlot and 41% Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new French oak, the only downside is that there are only 425 cases made. If you’re lucky enough to snag some bottles, it should drink beautifully for 15-20 years." (tasted Jan 2019)

96 Points | Vinous

"Melka Mekerra Proprietary Red 2016, the estate's Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend, is terrific. Aromatic, deep and sumptuous, the 2016 is absolutely gorgeous today. Wild flowers, tobacco, cedar, menthol, cured meat and dark red cherry fruit are all pushed forward. The Franc is quite expressive today, but what impresses me most about the 2016 is how much it has softened with time in barrel."Antonio Galloni (Dec 2018)

95 Points | James Suckling

"A beautiful, layered red with plenty of dark-berry, chocolate and hazelnut character. Full-bodied and round. Juicy finish. A blend of cabernet franc and merlot."

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“This woodsy, rich wine has real backbone while maintaining freshness – like a heavy weight boxer that is light on his feet.”

— Philippe & Cherie Melka, Proprietors

Vineyards

Both the Cabernet Franc and Merlot were planted first on this parcel of land in 2004.  Their age and our understanding of the vineyard have allowed us to craft an amazing blend from this Estate.  The aromatics are distinctive for the varietals – fig jam, dried violet, cedar, black pepper, lavender and red currant fruits.  Big, sumptuous and very concentrated, this wine is opulent without being heavy.  It finishes long with unexpected freshness.  Recommended to decant.

  • 59% Merlot, 41 % Cabernet Franc
  • 100% Knights Valley
  • Production: 375 cases 750ml, 30 cases l.5L
  • Bottling: June, 2018
  • Aging: 20 months in French oak, 70% new
  • Release: September 17, 2019

For more information about Melka Vineyards click here or visit their website here.

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]]> https://iconica.wine/product/melka-mekerra-proprietary-red-2016/feed/ 0 4199 Hundred Acre ‘Summer Dreams Lazy Lounging’ Chardonnay 2021 https://iconica.wine/product/hundred-acre-summer-dreams-lazy-lounging-chardonnay-2021/ https://iconica.wine/product/hundred-acre-summer-dreams-lazy-lounging-chardonnay-2021/#respond Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:46:08 +0000 https://iconica.wine/?post_type=product&p=1592 93 points | Robert Parker

The 2021 Chardonnay Lazy Lounging is a crisp, cool offering, loaded with gently grilled citrus and pineapple notes. It's medium to full-bodied, crisp, mouthwatering, and long. It's not as broad or generous as the 2020 but longer and perhaps more elegant.

96 points | Jeb Dunnuck

Honeyed apple, tangerine, flower oil, toasted almond, and brioche notes all emerge from the 2021 Chardonnay Lazy Lounging, a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet remarkably pure Chardonnay that has integrated oak, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, and awesome length on the finish.

94 points | James Suckling

Ripe apple and dried mango with some pie crust and lemon curd. Full and layered with an oily and rich finish. Old Wente clone chardonnay in the Charles Heintz Vineyard. From the owner of Napa’s Hundred Acre winery. Drink now.

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Part of the Hundred Acre Wine Group, Summer Dreams, is a love letter to the spirit of the California Summer. Each wine is made in the signature Jayson Woodbridge style and has a range of expressions based upon the selection of unique micro-vineyard blocks, dappled across the western Sonoma Coast of California. The style is focused on purity of fruit and vibrancy on the palate.
Vineyard notes
Over his 25-year winemaking career, Jayson is an uncompromising winemaker who has been primarily focused on Bordeaux varietals in the Napa Valley under the Hundred Acre label and the recipient of more than 61, 100-point scores. However, over the last decade the unique soils and extreme conditions of the West Sonoma Coast created a new obsession for Jayson to create site specific vineyard driven wines from this special place in California.
The hilltop vineyard site, in some of the oldest blocks, is situated on top of the Eastern ridge and consists of clay content that helps the soil retain precious moisture during the growing season and produces a rich and round, fruit-driven Chardonnay with a crisp, mineral-rich mid palate and finish. The coastal climate of the region is marked by warm, dry summers and cool, damp winters.

Learn about the phenomenon that is Hundred Acre Wines here. Or visit the Hundred Acre website here.

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