“The rare affordable bottling from Pritchard Hill.” – Wine Advocate

One of the hottest new projects by Philippe Melka is back with an exceptionally strong 2021, 94 glorious points, and as if all that’s not enough, it’s 2/3 OFF again.

If Wine Advocate calls Encosta a “rare affordable bottling” at the release price, one can’t help but wonder what they’d say seeing it at our price today. Granted, it remains the most affordable Cabernet in their lineup, with the 99-pointer flagship approaching $300 a bottle these days.

A quick search in the Operative Hangout shows heaps of love for the previous vintage. It showed up on many Ops’ “best of” lists, and elicited heaps of love like “Great bottle. Bought 3. Wish I bought more.” and praised as “very much the Melka style.”

Very much Melka, yes. Except you often pay $100-200, or much more, to get a taste of his classic style. Perched way above the valley floor overlooking Lake Hennessey, you’ll find the Gandona Estate. Tucked between Colgin and Bryant Family and not far from Chappellet, this relatively new winery has been making serious moves and pulling out all the stops as they punch their way to the top.

Gandona is the vision of Manuel Pires come to life. He grew up on his granddad’s farmland in the Douro and always wanted to return to those farming roots. With a fortune made in the electronic key control business, he set to work purchasing an estate on Pritchard Hill. The name Gandona is Portuguese for hillside. He planted 12 blocks of vines on the steep terrain. Then he got Melka to make it. No expense was spared - from the excavated caves to the barrel program.

Encosta (beginning in Portuguese) is their entry-level wine, but it’s anything but. Meant to be enjoyed early, this pure, perfumed, medium to full-bodied effort has lifted aromatics of ripe black fruits, flowers, cedary oak, and a touch of dark chocolate. We loved its purity of fruit; it has ripe, polished tannins, and terrific overall balance. A fantastic Pritchard Hill Cabernet that punches way above its weight.

Bad news last: they don’t make much wine up there and THESE GO FAST.

94 Points – International Wine Report “The 2021 Encosta Cabernet Sauvignon offers inviting aromas of ripe cherries, black cherries, spices, wild sage, fresh violets, cigar box and hints of gravel that all emerge from the glass. On the palate, this possesses a full body that is well-structured with big muscular tannins that are firm and supportive. It continues to impress with its outstanding depth and long finish. Overall, this is a simply fantastic wine which will benefit from some short term cellaring and continue to flourish over the next two decades. Drink 2026-2039.”