Wines

96 Points! The 2022 Red Wine The Meadows is the first special bottling Mayacamas has produced that is not Cabernet Sauvignon. A burst of dark red cherry fruit, rose petal, mocha, licorice and sweet spice are all dialed up. Plush contours wrap it all together in style. The 2022 is not the most complex wine I have ever tasted here, but it is immensely pleasurable. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Sadly production is only 89 cases. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous  

93+ Points! In lieu of a special Cabernet Sauvignon release from the 2022 vintage, Mayacamas has bottled the 2022 Red Wine The Meadows, a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. From a site at 2,000 to 2,100 feet above sea level and influenced by the cool headwaters of Redwood Creek, it delivers polished notes of pencil shavings, crushed stone, black cherries and cassis. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, firm and dusty but with ample length and intensity on the sage-tinged finish.- Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

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94 Points! The 2023 Chardonnay Estate is exquisite. Floral and lifted, with striking precision, the Melville Chardonnay makes such a strong case for why Chardonnay is so ideally suited here. Lemon confit, jasmine and light tropical inflections are some of the notes that grace this sublimely elegant white. Bright acids pull it all together on the finish. I would give the 2023 six months to a year in bottle, as it is pretty tightly wound at this stage. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93 Points! Ripe lemon and citrus fruits, some minty herbs, and chalky minerality all emerge from the 2023 Chardonnay Estate Sta. Rita Hills, a clean, vibrant, focused Chardonnay that has solid acidity, beautiful overall balance and texture, and a great finish. The estate comes all from the Melville Vineyard and was raised in neutral oak, hitting 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.27. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Energetic, sleek and vibrant, with pineapple, lemon curd and pomelo notes up front. Touches of fresh ginger, crunchy sea salt and orange blossoms linger on the finish alongside details of matcha and white pepper. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

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93 Points! Ripe lemon and citrus fruits, some minty herbs, and chalky minerality all emerge from the 2023 Chardonnay Estate Sta. Rita Hills, a clean, vibrant, focused Chardonnay that has solid acidity, beautiful overall balance and texture, and a great finish. The estate comes all from the Melville Vineyard and was raised in neutral oak, hitting 13% alcohol with a pH of 3.27. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Energetic, sleek and vibrant, with pineapple, lemon curd and pomelo notes up front. Touches of fresh ginger, crunchy sea salt and orange blossoms linger on the finish alongside details of matcha and white pepper. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

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94 Points! Melville's Estate Pinot Noir combines 17 different Pinot Noir clones from its Sta. Rita Hills AVA estate. Nearly half of the fruit was fermented as whole clusters, with just over half de-stemmed into small open-top fermenters. Skin and stem contact averages 30 days, with a 7-day cold soak, more than two weeks of fermentation and one week of extended maceration. Aged sur lie in neutral French oak barrels without sulfur for around 11 months. Deep ruby colour with violet hues. Such purity of fruit is framed by a wildly aromatic core of white pepper, paprika, clove, cedarwood, and smoked sea salt. All that aromatic personality erupts on the palate where all that skin contact layers in a kind of apple skin tannin that has a hefty grip but is nicely integrated and resolves through a current of blood orange acidity. Melville is dedicated to producing cool-climate Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay grown exclusively in its estate vineyards throughout the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, with vines planted mostly on Lompoc dune sand, interspersed with clay loam and shallow hard pans of Monterey shale. - Decanter Magazine

93 Points! The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate was vinified with 40% whole clusters and matured in used oak. The nose is bursting with cranberry, pomegranate, mushrooms, woodsmoke and underbrush. The medium-bodied palate has a core of earth and spice-laced fruit. It has a frame of chalky tannins and juicy acidity and a long, nuanced finish. -  Erin Brooks, robertparker.com, Jan 2024

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94 Points! Bold, bright and vivid, packed with red and black fruit, savory black tea and dried mushroom notes. Fermented with 40% whole clusters and aged in neutral barrels. So floral, fragrant and lively. Moderate tannins and a medium body. Drink or hold.- JamesSuckling.com

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93 Points! All Syrah that was fermented with 65% whole clusters and aged in neutral wood, the 2022 Syrah Sta. Rita Hills is a riper, more sun-kissed expression compared to the 2023. Ripe red and black fruits, leather, sweet spices, and dried flowers all give this an Hermitage-like character, and it's medium-bodied, with a seamless, elegant mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. I love it today, yet it should cruise for a decade or so. - Jeb Dunnuck

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94 Points! Boasting a rich magenta/ruby hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is classic and very much in the style lovers of this estate have come to expect. It’s ripe with notes of fresh black cherries, scorched earth, violets, and dark forest earth. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with sweet tannins and is generous without feeling heavy. Long on the finish and fully dry. It’s a very well-styled Pinot Noir from this challenging vintage that’s going to drink well over the next 6-8 years. - Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com

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92 Points! Good full ruby. Blackberry, licorice, graphite minerality and crushed rock on the nose. Suave, fine-grained and tactile on entry, then sweet/savory and concentrated in the middle palate, with dark berry and liquid stone flavors dominating. Offers good thickness without undue weight, as there's no shortage of acidity or energy here... Finishes with big, palate-dusting tannins, building length and no rough edges. Made from fruit picked in October, well after the September heat spikes. - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media, 2020 Learn More

In February 2021, Michael David Winery sent four 70ml frozen Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon samples to the International Space Station to investigate the microbial ecology and dynamics of grape juice fermentation in the absence of gravity. Meanwhile, identical samples remained on Earth in an environmental control chamber that mimicked the ISS ambient temperature. When the experiment began, the portions were thawed at the same time, allowing native microbes to ferment. At the conclusion of the experiment, the samples in space experienced CO2 build up, a sign of successful fermentation. 

Once the samples arrived back on Earth, they were sent for DNA fingerprinting and DNA sequence matching to determine the number and identification of the different propagations. It was found that the juice fermented in Zero Gravity propagated different species than the sample that remained on Earth. Our team isolated the most successful microgravity-grown yeast strain, a species of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified as MT965 by Michael David Winery winemaking, to produce Zero Gravity Cabernet Sauvignon. This bottle is a result of passion, science and exploring a new frontier in wine.

Deep ruby in hue, the inaugural vintage of Zero Gravity Cabernet Sauvignon (aged in 100% neutral oak) offers layered aromas of blackberry strudel, bright acai berry and warm vanilla on the nose. Full bodied with a luxurious and velvety mouthfeel, out of this world flavors of juicy raspberry, dark cacao and cinnamon bun are carried through by a polished finish with pleasant hints of oak and spice. 

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85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petite Sirah, 7% Petit Verdot, 18 months ageing in French oak barrels (66% new). From the winery: The Emblem Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a ripe and plummy wine with chocolate and hazelnut undertones. Medium to full body, round tannins and a flavorful finish. Well balanced, with a soft and layered mouth feel make this wine a simply delicious expression of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

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90 Points! Sourced from the producer's certified-organic Double L estate as well as McIntyre, Tondre, and other sites, the 2023 Chardonnay Highland gathers the grapes and barrel-ferments in 25% new French oak, making an approachable white that can be enjoyed in its youth. Medium-bodied layers of green apple and Meyer lemon flavors are accented in woody undertones and baking spice, finishing in a richness of crème brûlée. Drink now. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

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97 Points! A smoking good dessert wine, the 2014 Billet Doux offers stunning notes of ripe quince, honeyed peach, toasted bread, and exotic flowers. It brings loads of richness and depth, yet always has a sense of purity and elegance, as well as lightness on the palate. It’s another gorgeous sweet wine from Morlet that will stand up to some of the great Sauternes out there. - Jeb Dunnuck

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97 Points! From the same vineyard as the Ma Douce Chardonnay on the second ridge from the coast in Fort Ross-Seaview, the deep red/ruby 2021 Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles comes out swinging. Packed with layered aromas of sassafras, framboise, roses, cedar, Asian spice, and coriander, it’s medium to full-bodied and propels through the palate with ripe tannins, a long finish, and a plush feel, although it also retains a more vertical spine of fresh acidity throughout. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

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98 Points! All four of the flagship Cabernets from Morlet are absolutely world class. Starting out, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee comes from To Kalon, which was a vineyard that excelled in 2018. Revealing a dense ruby/purple color as well as a flat-out awesome nose of crème de cassis, black raspberries, flowery incense, dried tobacco, and classy new leather, this carries to a full-bodied, opulent, seamless 2018 with incredible tannins, flawless balance, and a blockbuster of a finish. It’s classic To Kalon with it’s rich, powerful, yet weightless style. While unquestionably very different wines, I kept thinking of a great 1982 Bordeaux while tasting this beauty, as those show a similar level of class, richness, and balance. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming 2-3 decades. This is the finest vintage I’ve tasted for this cuvée. - Jeb Dunnuck

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Situated on the foothills of Knights Valley, near Calistoga, our vineyard is comprised of rocky clay loam Red Hills soil and benefits from its proximity to Mount Saint Helena. The warm and windy climate is ideal for the long ripening of the red Bordeaux varietals. Handcrafted using classical winemaking techniques, this special wine is dedicated to our son, Paul Morlet. It is ‘My Knight’ or ‘Mon Chevalier.’

99 Points! The 2018 ‘Mon Chevalier’ always seems to me to have one foot in Napa and one foot in Sonoma. Boasting a ruby/purple color, it’s slightly more reserved and stately (knightly, if you will), with building aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, toasted bread, dried violets, baking spices, and loamy earth. These carry to a pure, full-bodied, multidimensional Cabernet that’s flawlessly balanced, has ripe yet certainly present tannins, a notable sense of minerality, and a great, great finish. It’s just another incredible wine from Luc Morlet that can be drunk today with ample pleasure or cellared for 20-30 years if, for some reason, you feel the need to delay gratification. - JebDunnuck.com

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99 Points! Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the “home” estate, very close to Colgin's Tychson Hill vineyard, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Morlet Estate has a deep garnet-purple color, striding confidently out of the glass with classic notes of cassis, baked plums, ripe blackberries and pencil lead, plush nuances of tobacco leaf, black olives, violets and bay leaves with an exotic touch of cardamom. The full-bodied palate explodes in the mouth with crunchy black and blue fruits, supported by firm, grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long with loads of mineral sparks. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com

98 Points! The Morlet Estate cuvée was first produced in 2016 and comes from vines just beside the winery, right off Highway 29, north of St. Helena. It might be the most Bordeaux-like wine in the lineup with its textbook Cabernet notes of cedar pencil, green tobacco, and bouquet garni nuances, yet it still brings that classic Napa Valley fruit and richness, with loads of red, blue, and black fruits all present. Full-bodied, concentrated, and nicely structured on the palate, this beauty is balanced, has integrated acidity, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. As with all these 2018s from Luc Morlet, it’s an incredible bottle of wine that’s almost impossible to find fault with. While it’s thrilling today, 2-4 years of bottle age are warranted, and it should evolve for decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

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99 Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnement is another wine that flirts with perfection. A selection of the top barrels in the cellar, it has beautiful purity in its red and black fruits as well as notes of tobacco leaf, new leather, unsmoked tobacco, and sandalwood. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated, and powerful, it’s a stunning wine on every level that will benefit from just short-term bottle age and keep for 20-30 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

 

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