2010 Parallel Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Robert Parker’s “Most Important Winemaker in the World”

Philippe Melka earned his degree in Geology atl’Université de Bordeaux in 1989. But in Melka’s last semester, on a whim, he registered for a wine course at the Faculté d’Oenologie, long led by enologist Denis Dubourdieu.

A half-dozen years later, Melka had completed two graduate degrees, one in Agronomy, the other in Enology. Upon graduation, the most storied châteaux of Bordeaux engaged young Melka, including Cheval Blanc, Petrus, and Haut-Brion. Already sporting a résumé that could have helped him land a winemaking post anywhere in France, Melka, always adventurous at heart, traveled the New World’s wine trails. In 1994, the Frenchman moved to Napa, where he would quickly establish himself as a winemaking force to be reckoned with.

From the mid-1990s to today, Melka has authored world-class Cabernets at Dalla Valle, Bryant Family, Hundred Acre, Dana Estate, Seavey, Gemstone, Roy Estate and Vineyard 29, earning as many 100-point scores as any Napa Valley winemaker in recent history. In 2005, Food and Wine Magazine named Melka its “Winemaker of the Year.” Robert Parker, always one of Melka’s brightest torchbearers, named him one of the “nine most important winemakers in the world.”

Rumor has it that the annual fee paid by winery clients for Melka’s services matches the sticker price of a Panamera Turbo S. So when the owners of Black Diamonds Vineyard determined to lure Philippe Melka to this rocky perch above St. Helena, they knew they’d have to pay to play. But they couldn’t possibly have known that their investment would pay off so quickly.

The 2010 Parallel Cabernet Sauvignon is deep-purple in color, infused aromas of crushed black fruits, violets, and graphite, bracketed by new-wood cedar. Rich, dense and compact on the attack, pure and, packed with blackberry preserves and a splash of sweet crème de cassis. Gorgeous on release, but as always, never underestimate the age-worthiness of Melka’s Cabernets. Drink now-2025.

$75 if purchased directly from the winery. A tad over HALF PRICE today ONLY WineAccess.

• ABV 14.50%
• Enjoy right away
• % Cabernet Sauvignon