Melka, CJ Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

One off from a large private party purchase (hard to price individual bottles, but probably about $65) a bit over 8 years ago. On the nose and palate, potent notes of dark berries, black currants, cassis, plums, char, anise, dark roast coffee, dark chocolate, dark soil, leather, graphite, asphalt and a medicinal spice note. Deep purple-black with a slight browning, full bided, thick legs. Medium+ tannins, light acidity, some heat. VG+ complexity, persistence and intensity. I didn’t own, and I’m …

2013 vintage

Solid, rich nose; berries and touch of oak, evolving complexity in the glass. Lovely balance, still young from half. Delicious! More to come?

2013 vintage

Very tasty. Dark blackberry fruit, open nose and medium to full bodied. Finish initially a bit short but filled out with 15 minutes of air. A lovely drink.

2013 vintage

2013 is a great vintage so I sat on this expecting it would show well now. Unfortunately, this wine is toast - overripe and flat. This was purchased directly from the winery and stored properly. Tried it over a couole of days and zero improvement. I would love to know if you have a bottle that is holding up better than what I had.

2013 vintage

May be a bit on the decline. Drink now.

2013 vintage

In a perfect place, forward dark fruits, black currants, blackberry, well integrated tannins, balanced, elegant, just what you want in a Cali Cab, has many years to go

2005 vintage

Fantastic

2013 vintage

Really enjoyed this. Drinking beautifully.

2013 vintage

Outstanding depth and nearly 1 minute finish. I’m sad that I only have one more bottle left.

2013 vintage

Could be the year, but this wine is quite good. Beautiful fruit that is very well-balanced. A winner.

2013 vintage

So damn good for a barbecue meal.

2013 vintage

I was the last to review this two years ago almost to the day, and was amazed that this wine has actually gotten better. Not much to add since the last note, but still wonderful fruit backbone enveloped by excellent secondary notes of leather, earth, and tobacco. This producer never misses the mark - just terrific. The CJ is still a relative value for those not wanting to splurge on his single vineyard offerings.

2005 vintage

Gave it some air. A very pleasant wine with characteristic Napa fruit. Paired very well with beef. Would certainly buy more

2013 vintage

Wonderful wine. Opened up beautifully. Perfect match with braised beef short ribs. Rich, smooth, long finish.

2013 vintage

Delicious wine. Of course the Metisse never disappoints, but the CJ happily exceeded my expectations. Decanted for about an hour, big bouquet of flowers and berries on the nose. Strong tannins and perfect acidity make for good structure on the palette.

2013 vintage

Surprisingly ordinary, felt like possible bottle variation as BRY mentioned, lengthy decant didn't make a difference either. Fairly disappointing given pedigree here, hoping my other vintages fare better.

2013 vintage

Really enjoyable with long finish.

2013 vintage

A little confused by the high accolades for this wine. Maybe bottle variation, but I found it out of balance, both before and after a 2 hour decant. Great if you like ripe, juicy fruit as the major player. The acid and tannins just don't bring enough to the party to give it the balance and structure I was expecting. Would not buy again at the price point.

2013 vintage

Decanted 3hrs, Big and bold with plenty of rich cherry and a hint of vanilla. Tannins were ripe yet still firm with pleasant accompanying acidity. Long fruit filled finish with a hint of cassis. An all round good wine that did not disappoint.

2013 vintage

Decant and UNBELIEVABLE

2013 vintage

Great window for drinking! Dark fruit, cedar, spice with nice tannin backbone.

2013 vintage

Great wine for grilled meats. Seven years old and still many years left to enjoy!

2013 vintage

Let it air for 2 hours. Unreal

2013 vintage

I was expecting more but it’s a well made wine.

2013 vintage

This is almost there. Still a little tannic but totally drinkable. A little gingerbread on the nose, black fruits on the palate, a little sharp on the finish. Nice effort.

2013 vintage

Decanted 2hrs. Enjoyed with friends. Well balanced, no formal notes.

2013 vintage

No formal notes. Gave a splash decant and this definitely needed more than that. Drank with 6 people so it went fast. Was just starting to come in to its own at the 1 hour mark. Quite a bit of structure with this wine. Would give a 2 hour decant next time.

2013 vintage

One of my favorite producers from California, this wine is showing well right now - I'd rate it exactly at peak drinking now. Displays a medium red color with just a slight hint of bricking, right where you'd expect it to be now. Strong elements of fruit on the nose, dark berry, fig, chocolate, followed by some very nice sweet tannin. On the finish, the alcohol leaves a bit of "heat" which caused me to shave off a point or …

2005 vintage

Looks the part, feels the part in the mouth.. onctuous... dark berry, chocolate... tasty

2005 vintage

my wife and i really enjoyed this - would def buy again if we found it as it has a solid QPR. yummy wine with floral hints on those nose - full bodied and jammy - smooth, long finish. Has some Bordeaux like structure to it and a slightly more elevated acidity to it. very very enjoyable.

2005 vintage

Pleasant cab..

2005 vintage

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petite Verdot. Pop and pour at Salt’s Cure West Hollywood with braised pork shoulder and grits. Strange vegetal prune nose with tannic hints of vanilla, oak, and blueberry (on the palate also). Not as strong of showing a previous 2005 CJ bottles but still great for the price.

2005 vintage

Great mouthfeel and finish. Sweet chocolate, tart berry and boysenberry. Very nice, great with meatballs and crusty bread.

2005 vintage

Drinking well. Not much on the nose, but the taste is fantastic. Chocolate, mint, berry with medium to long finish. Great wine for the price.

2005 vintage

Good up front fruit, tannins have stabilized, medium 10 to15 second pallat. Wonderfull wine with the Rottiseri Beef roast we had.

2005 vintage

A great drinking wine with an excellent QPR. Quite a different experience from most Napa Cabs. Somewhat muted aromics but nothing short on the pallet. Medium to full bodied with strong influence of berries and licorice set an firm foundation. Mild mint and spice nuances from the oak. Smooth mouthfeel, well rounded with no harshness to the tannins and an impressive, lengthy finish. Very interesting bottle and well worth the price. Wish I had a few more.

2005 vintage

I think this is really good stuff, even at $40/bottle. There is a lot of nice dark fruit but it's not overwhelming or over extracted like a lot of inferior cali cabs. I thought it was very well balanced, harmonious throughout and had a nice medium-length finish. I think this is drinking very well right now and I don't see a lot of room for improvement with cellar age.

2005 vintage

Smells of dark fruit, chocolate, earth & leather. Excellent black fruit characteristics and not over cherried. Red fruit in the wine was closer to rasberry than cherry. Tannins have softened nicely...not at all grippy. Great viscosity ..excellent legs and weight....not at all thin. Decanted for an hour right out of the cellar and was still a bit closed. 3-4 hrs later...this had opened up nicely and did not fall apart. Drinking again 24 hrs later (did not remove any of …

2005 vintage

for 40 a pop ... meh.

2005 vintage

Not an ager, but a good, easy drinking bottle.

2005 vintage

Stepped back a year from the 96. Personally, I believe the 06 will prove out to be a little better; however, if it has the great depth of the 05, I will be satisfied. This wine has so much legs, the side of the glass looked like it was coated with a syrup. The smoky flavors of the fruits came rushing through. Looking forward to how this wine grows in another year or so. I have yet to find a …

2005 vintage

This wine just hit on all cylinders, right out of the gate - color, aromatics, mouthfeel, flavors & finish. I can honestly say that I could not find a single flaw in this wine! What surprised me was that this wine was so perfectly balanced and ready to drink; it being an '05 and only having limited decanting/breathing time. Tasted blind, I would have guessed that it was a '95 or perhaps an '02 - so round and well integrated, …

2005 vintage

The nose was full of red meat, oak and plumb. The flavors were a complex mix of currant, vanilla and a slight mineal note that tied everything together nicely. The finish was spicy and lingering. This wine is nicely balanced and a great value for the money ($45).

2005 vintage

Nose of oak, red currant, smoke and a touch of meat. Palate is well balanced, medium red fruit, blackberry and cherries dominate. Some creme component no doubt from the oak, but overall a very good wine.

2005 vintage

Just plain good stuff. Dark and intense.

2005 vintage

Popped and poured. Needed a decant. Opened up to sweet blackberry and black currant.

2005 vintage

bought six of these, had to try one now. Good not great. I enjoyed the wine but it lacked much defining character.

2005 vintage

Big Dogs and Bargains (Farpointe Cellar) : The nose had a delicious aroma of blueberry pie and fig newtons, and ended with a little vanilla. The palate was rich, with sweet blackberry, black currant, and some vanilla.

2005 vintage

Vanilla, oak, creme de casis, blackberry...a slight variation from the traditional california cab. Excellent bottle of wine- especially considering the price. Have 2 more bottles and can't wait to have another. Have yet to drink a bad 2005 cab.

2005 vintage

IT was just perfect california cab, even though it was young it was a pleasure to have, nice fruity balance and rich california cab smell

2005 vintage

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Melka, CJ Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

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