Vinous: “I loved it”
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2021 TOR Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard Napa Valley 750 ml
| $250 | per bottle | |
- Curated by unrivaled experts
- Choose your delivery date
- Temperature controlled shipping options
- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
A Standout Among Standouts
“If you line them up, taste them all blind when there’s no way to cheat, the one that’s most distinctive is Melanson,” Tor Kenward told us about his only Pritchard Hill Cabernet, which is grown high on the hill overlooking Colgin’s precious rows.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of wines off Pritchard Hill, and I’ve tried to be a student of what makes them different,” Tor told us. He recognized what made the area special in general—all-day sun, no fog, a big temperature swing that holds in the acidity and metabolized sugars—and it took a friend from Southern California to facilitate a meeting with Greg Melanson. Tor went up to see his 42-acre site, which looks down on Lake Hennessey from 1,200 feet, and has just over ten acres of Cabernet Clones 7 and 337 planted on an isolated, boulder-strewn plot.
“You look at the vineyard and you just know it’s gonna make a great wine,” Tor said. His timing could not have been better. “We walked the vineyard and I asked how much I could get, and Greg was a little unhappy with one of the partners at the time. So I got some of the older vines.”
Tor has made his Melanson Cabernet every year since the all-time great 2013 vintage, yet none top this one. He and winemaker Jeff Ames made barely 100 cases, aged in 80% new Taransaud barrels, bottled unfined and unfiltered. It’s a special wine made in a very small quantity, and those who get to experience it will count themselves lucky, in the short term or whenever they choose to open this singular Cabernet.