100 pts – Wine Advocate
The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Melbury, which comes from a hillside vineyard site near Lake Hennessey, is showing even better than it did in its youth. Probably years away from full maturity, the wine has an extraordinary aromatic profile of smoky meats intermixed with blackberry, creme de cassis, charcoal, lead pencil shavings and espresso. Dense, opulent and full-bodied, with terrific fruit, this is a showcase style of vintage for a wine of such great ripeness and massive intensity. This extraordinary effort displays oodles of glycerin and fabulous purity, while the oak has been completely absorbed. The cooler hillside climate of blue fruits and spring flowers is also present as the wine aerates in the glass. This wine has at least another 15-30 years of potential ahead of it. – WA, RP (6/2012)
94 pts – Wine Spectator
Firm, pure, rich and concentrated, dense and youthful, this delivers blackberry, wild berry, olive, currant, mocha and black licorice flavors, ending with chewy tannins and excellent length.—2002 California Cabernet blind retrospective (May 2012). Drink now through 2022. 700 cases made. — JL (08/2012)
94 pts – Vinous
A stellar wine, the 22 Melbury is super-expressive today. Rich, ample and inviting, the 22 is endowed with soft contours, radiant, rich fruit and fabulous balance. Mocha, smoke, leather, red stone fruit and sweet spices build into the resonant, deeply satisfying finish. The 22 is one of the more overtly ripe, forward wines in the first flight of this tasting.- Antonio Galloni (11/217)
