2003 Bond Vecina Melbury Pluribus St.Eden Cabernet - OWC 4 x 750ml

2003 Bond Vecina Melbury Pluribus St.Eden Cabernet - OWC 4 x 750ml

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2003 Bond Vecina/Melbury/Pluribus/St.Eden Cabernet - OWC 4 pak
BOND: A portfolio of wines that are diverse in their geographic representation and 'Grand Cru' in quality, all under the umbrella of one philosophy, one team, one mark.

This is the brainchild of Harlan Estate’s Bill Harlan, who has signed the owners of these well-placed vineyards in selected micro-climates in Napa Valley to long (quarter of a century) contracts. In the first decade, he has expanded the number of vineyard holdings to five separate wines in 2011, all made by the Harlan Estate winemaking team of Bob Levy and consulting oenologist Michel Rolland. There were only three cuvees in 2001 – from an 11-acre site on the western Oakville hillsides near Harlan Estate, the Vecina, St. Eden, an 11-acre stony knoll north of the Oakville Crossroad with a northern exposure, and from the steep slopes just north of Lake Hennessy with an eastern and southeastern exposure, east of Rutherford, the Melbury.

Since these fabulous 2001s were made, two other great vineyards have been added to the Bond portfolio. These are Quella, which is a 9 acre vineyard in the eastern hills of northern Napa Valley, planted on white volcanic ash called Tufa, and Pluribus, which is a high elevation vineyard planted on steep slopes of Spring Mountain with a northern and easterly exposure. All three 2001s showed phenomenally, and are still very young wines, with at least 15 to 20 more years of upside potential. In fact, in a cold cellar these wines probably have 40 or more years of aging potential, but few of us will be able to wait that long to see how they taste.

Product Details

Varietal Proprietary Blend
Vintage 2003
Rating 95-92
Bottle Size 4 x 750ml
Bottle Quantity 4
Country USA
Region California
Location North Coast
Producer Bond (Harlan)
Color Red
Wine Type

Winery Details

Varietal Proprietary Blend
Vintage 2003
Rating 95-92
Bottle Size 4 x 750ml
Bottle Quantity 4
Country USA
Region California
Location North Coast
Producer Bond (Harlan)
Color Red
Wine Type

Robert Parker

Rating 95 RP - The 2003 St. Eden offers full-bodied sweet cigar tobacco spice licorice and meaty characteristics good richness and fatness and huge concentration and intensity. Performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel it is a strong candidate for the top wine of the vintage. Already accessible this beauty should age effortlessly for 15-20 years. Bond's new baby Pluribus is primarily all Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard planted high on Spring Mountain at a 900 foot elevation . As one might expect the 2003 Pluribus exhibits an inky/blue/purple color in addition to a beautiful bouquet of blueberries violets and crushed rocks. Pure rich and streamlined with blue and black fruit flavors that linger on the palate this distinctive red should drink well for 15 or more years. The classic structured 2003 Melbury offers beautiful blueberry blackberry and cassis notes interwoven with notions of spring flowers and espresso. This pure full-bodied opulent silky 2003 should age for 10-15 years. The most tannic broodingly backward and muscular of the single vineyard cuvees is the dense ruby/purple-colored 2003 Vecina Proprietary Red. This vineyard is situated close to the Harlan Estate site and the Vecina exhibits some of that scorched earth component in its backward personality. The tannins are slightly more rustic in this concentrated effort. It comes across like a hypothetical blend of top northern Medoc and Graves wines. This is the newest brainchild of the irrepressible Bill Harlan and his sensational winemaking team of Bob Levy and Michel Rolland. These are all 100% terroir-based Cabernet Sauvignons from distinctive sites in Napa Valley. There are 600-700 cases of each cuvee. The Melbury represents a hillside vineyard site above Lake Hennessy the St. Eden is a valley floor vineyard in the Oakville corridor and Vecina is a western hillside vineyard adjacent to Harlan Estate. I also tasted a stunning wine from Spring Mountain which may be the next site that Bill Harlan offers to Bond's mailing list clients. The quality of these singular extraordinary offerings is world-class. RP

Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator

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