Flint Knoll Marquess Melanson Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021

The great wines we continue to remember often take us back to a place and time, evoking memories of being together with family and friends, celebrations of love, and honoring life's transformations.  For Vintner, Aaron Michaelis, the memories he cherishes most are those of the tall prairie grasses of the meandering Flint Hills of eastern Kansas, where he grew up.  Aaron's childhood instilled in him a vibrant appreciation for the land and awe of the invaluable practice of giving back to it.  In 2013, he set sail from the sea of grass and let his love for fine wine captain his prairie schooner on a voyage west.  Aaron's move to California was a leap of faith, fueled by a fascination with wine, that eventually brought him to Napa Valley and cemented his future in the industry.  Working in sales, marketing, and product development with boutique wineries and vineyards across the valley, Aaron became more passionate and more involved with each new project.  It soon grew too challenging to ignore his true calling.  In 2016, Aaron's dream of creating a small portfolio of artisanal wines became a reality…enter Flint Knoll.

Partnering with Aaron in his winemaking venture are two industry veterans, winemaker Philippe Melka, and his right-hand man, Maayan Koschitzky. Their impressive backgrounds, including stints at renowned wineries such as Château Haut Brion, Dominus Estate, Petrus, Screaming Eagle, and Dalla Valle, speak volumes about their expertise.  Together with Aaron, they are crafting limited production, single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa's elite vineyards. 

ACME is no stranger to the newest vineyard source in Flint Knoll's line-up. The 2021 Marquess featured this month hails from Melanson Vineyard, an under-the-radar gem of a property that ACME has championed for the last decade. With the vineyard sitting smack dab in the top-center of Pritchard Hill, all the giants of this honorary sub-AVA are just a stone's throw away - Colgin to the South, Continuum to the West, Chappellet just below to the North.  Greg Melanson has farmed the 10 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon since the late 1980s, and its coveted grapes are textbook Pritchard Hill with intensity and purity.

Harvest kicked off a touch earlier for the inaugural vintage of Marquess on September 14th.  Using three different cooperages, Philippe and Maayan employed a highly curated barrel program with 85% new French oak. This Cabernet's concentration and densely structured tannins benefitted from the time in barrel, which ranged between 20-24 months across the 8 barrels crafted. The Marquess is powerful and concentrated from the first sip, with the layers unfolding as the wine spends time in the glass. Hints of blueberry pie, cherry liqueur, and cocoa powder give way to a dusty minerality and notes of pipe tobacco on the balanced palate with a long, lingering finish.