Westwood Legend Proprietary Red Blend Sonoma County 2018

Philippe Melka is one of the most celebrated winemakers in all of North America, with a mile long record of achieving 100-point scores for the many wines made under his supervision. Robert Parker named him among the Top Nine consulting winemakers in the world, and he is regularly listed among the most influential winemakers crafting wines today. A native of Bordeaux, his first job after earning a degree in Geology and a Master's degree in Agronomy and Enology at the University of Bordeaux was at the famed Château Haut Brion, one of just five First Growths in Bordeaux. He has been trained and influenced by some of the most notable personalities in the wine business including Jean Delmas and Jean Philippe Masclef from Haut-Brion, Christian Moueix and Jean Claude Berrouet from Petrus, Paul Draper from Ridge and the globetrotting wine consultant Michel Rolland with whom he continues to work on many consulting projects. After working at Petrus, he moved to California to work at Christian Moueix's Napa Valley project, Dominus. Since then he has made his mark on a near endless list of the very best wines made in California over the last 20 years; Dana Estate, Tusk, Fairchild, Lail Vineyards, Moone-Tsai, and Alejandro Bulgheroni to name just a few. 

Not only do all of these wines share the common thread of having Melka's thumbprint on them, they consequently are also some of the most highly allocated and expensive wines in all of California. To our delight however, a few years ago we were introduced to one of his newest projects in Sonoma where he is making one of the best California reds we've had in some time - at the Westwood Estate Winery and at a significant fraction of the cost of his other current projects. 

Westwood Estate has been making wines from their Annadel Gap Vineyard in Sonoma Valley for several years now, however, they primarily focused on Pinot Noir and Rhone varietals planted on their estate vineyard. In 2014, they made their first vintage of Westwood 'Legend' to expand their range of wines to include a Proprietary Cabernet-based Red Blend. In 2016, they strengthened this commitment by hiring Philippe Melka to lead this new direction, signifying a new level of excellence for Westwood Estates. With Westwood Legend, Melka along with his director of winemaking, Maayan Koschitzky, brilliantly showcase their expertise with the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal. 

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Mourvedre, this wine is plump and rich yet balanced with a velvety array of dark, black cherry, wild blackberry, and cocoa with hints of lavender, violet, and a little smidge of white pepper. The mouthfeel is lush and soft with silky fine tannins framed with a steady structure. This powerful and hedonistic wine seamlessly blends Cabernet Sauvignon with Westwood's Rhone varieties making a truly beautiful wine that over-delivers in every single way. This wine is AMAZING and the price is staggering for the quality!