Melanson Vineyard is a breathtaking site which is located high atop Pritchard Hill, overlooking some of Napa’s most iconic vineyards. Tor’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Melanson is a drop-dead stunning wine that is impressive for its bold and intense characteristics. It immediately grabs your attention with its seductive aromas of ripe blackcurrants, black cherries and boysenberries, which are joined by exotic spices, violets, loam and crushed gravel that all burst from the glass. On the palate this displays a gorgeous full body that is dense and concentrated. It continues to impress with its beautiful polished frame and mouth watering supple texture. There is an incredible sense of purity and freshness as layers of delicious ripe dark fruits continue to build through the long, mouth coating finish. The Melanson Vineyard is another marvelous release from Tor in this vintage and should not be missed.
by JD, Int'l Wine Report , 2021
There are six barrels of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard, a 100% varietal from a great site on Pritchard Hill, just across the valley from Colgin. Its saturated purple hue is followed by a beautiful perfume of cassis and blackberry fruits as well as tobacco, scorched earth, and graphite, with an almost Graves-like gravelly earth character emerging with time in the glass. It is rich, full-bodied, and powerful, with lots of ripe tannins, terrific overall balance, and a serious, age-worthy style that still offers pleasure even today. It's worth giving bottles 2-4 years in the cellar, and it's going to shine for over two decades.
by JD, Jeb Dunnuck , 2021
Crushed stone and blackberries with some black pepper. Granite and pine cone, too. Medium-to full-bodied, firm and racy with a long finish. Wonderful typicity.
by JS, James Suckling , 2022
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard is one of the clear highlights in this range from Tor. Rich and creamy in the glass, the 2019 is endowed with tremendous purity of fruit matched with tannins that are unusually silky for this rugged hillside site. Nothing in particular stands out. Instead, it is the wine's stunning balance that makes the deepest impression. Time brings out gorgeous inner perfume and aromatic presence. Superb.
by AG, Vinous Media , 2022