2014 Vice Versa Le Petit Vice Cabernet Sauvignon 750 ml

100-Point Winemaker’s Cabernet from Prestigious Napa Sites

By now, Wine Access clients know that the 100-point winemaker Philippe Melka’s touch with Cabernet is nothing short of golden: According to Robert Parker, one of Melka’s 2014 Vice Versa wines “flirts with perfection,” and it’s “hard not to be impressed” with the whole lineup. The 93-point 2014 “Le Petit Vice” shows the skill that Melka applied at Bryant Family, Dana Estates, and Hundred Acre. One look at Vice Versa’s vineyard sources shows that the word “compromise” is not in Melka’s or proprietor Patrice Breton’s vocabulary: “Le Petit Vice” is blended from prestigious Napa sites like the coveted Stagecoach Vineyard, and the Beckstoffer To Kalon, Dr. Crane, and Las Piedras sites. James Suckling praises “Le Petit Vice” as “full-bodied and dense yet vivid and bright.” 

One can hardly look at any aspect of the Vice Versa operation without seeing proprietor Patrice Breton’s commitment to producing a world-class Cabernet. His first winemaker was Napa legend Paul Hobbs, whose enormous shoes were more than filled in 2014 by Philippe Melka. Melka, author of a handful of 100-point wines and veteran of some of Napa’s most in-demand cult wineries, promptly made an impression on Robert Parker with Vice Versa’s flagship wine: a 99-point, $400 effort.

The 2014 “Le Petit Vice” boasts the prestigious Napa vineyard sources — the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane and Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyards both boast 100-pointers, and the Stagecoach Vineyard is perched on Pritchard Hill, home of some of California’s most hallowed soils — without the price tag. Peerless fruit from one of the top Cabernet vintages in memory, this wine has a true triple-digit pedigree, the perfect stage for Philippe Melka to make his magic.