2011 Melka Mekerra Metisse La Mekerra Vineyard
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 2011 La Mekerra (a blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot) comes from a vineyard high above the fog line. It is a lusty, ripe mulberry, boysenberry, foresty-scented, medium to full-bodied wine with beautiful fruit, and extra levels of complexity and purity that make it an impressive effort in a touch vintage. Philippe Melka is one of the most respected and successful of the French-born, Bordeaux-educated oenologists working in California. He and his wife Cherie have been doing terrific consulting work for many years, and while he no doubt has to face the same absurd criticisms that some of his colleagues like Michel Rolland confront (all the wines taste the same as all of their clients- wines), nothing could be further from the truth. Melka also has the grit to put his own name on a couple of interesting wines, especially his project in the Knights Valley as well as his Jumping Goat Vineyard wine from St. Helena. Melka always jokes with me that I-m not allowed to score his wines higher than his clients-. However, they are what they are, and these are extremely impressive wines that demand to be taken seriously. Melka-s red wine comes from a site not far from where Peter Michael makes their famed Bordeaux blend, Les Pavots. La Mekerra is usually a blend of nearly equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot aged 24-26 months in French oak, of which about half is new. Tel. (707) 963-6008
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A strong wine for the year, 2011 Metisse La Mekerra Vineyard is dark, sumptuous and rich. The 2011 is a bit more floral, higher-toned and more nervous than the 2010, but it has excellent balance and plenty of potential. The firm tannins will require a few years to soften, so readers will have to be patient.
A strong wine for the year, 2011 Metisse La Mekerra Vineyard is dark, sumptuous and rich. The 2011 is a bit more floral, higher-toned and more nervous than the 2010, but it has excellent balance and plenty of potential. The firm tannins will require a few years to soften, so readers will have to be patient. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2025. Philippe Melka’s roster of consulting clients reads like a Who’s Who of Napa Valley, but the wines Melka makes with his wife Cherie are just as compelling. The Metisse wines are made from vineyards in Knights Valley and St. Helena. Tel. (707) 963-6008