Ok, so Nickel & Nickel’s single vineyard Cabs start at $100 on go up to $300+.

The Vineyard House Cabs, for $275-350.

OR… this for under $50?

What do all three have in common? Besides Atelier Melka at the winemaking helm?

Jeremy Nickel. The descendant of one of Napa’s most legendary wine families operates 2 ventures these days. No doubt you know Far Niente, and Nickel & Nickel. Gil Nickel’s iconic legacy hardly needs any introduction. Like many estates in Napa, it fell into private equity hands years ago.

But Jeremy still kept some of the best land in the area. And in his quest to keep the family name a part of the ongoing history of Napa, he started two instantly heralded projects.

One of those is the aforementioned The Vineyard House in Oakville. These are, if you know, some of the HOTTEST Cabs around. The second, lesser-known, and smaller one is his own eponymous label that uses fruit from the very same Oakville estate, which was once a part of the To Kalon Vineyard. Featuring the family crest, these wines showcase the same precision farming and winemaking for a bit less.

Actually, a lot less if we’re comparing the $300+ Vineyard House Cabs. And to be honest, this doesn’t fall very short of those…

The reason? The NBA has Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown. And on the winemaking court, the dynamic duo includes Philippe Melka & Maayan Koschitzky who run the game at Atelier Melka. Combined, they have more 100-pointers than we can count, ALWAYS delivering the goods. Usually at a pretty high price.

In the glass, it’s opaque, bold, and generous. Creamy blackberries, crème de cassis, and sweet summer plums lead the nose with an attractive savory olive edge. Full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins, it’s richly viscous and dense yet with a sense of weightlessness. Forest floor and dried flowers bloom on the long, impressive finish. While highly crushable now, some of you will prefer to age it.

Let’s save you the search; there are no scores on this wine, nor does it need them. Because you will find a lot of wine press coverage of the fight for calling these wines, rightfully, To Kalon. We won’t get into the complex politics or the legal battles any further, to let this Oakville Cab speak for itself.

For us to have ANY of this hidden gem seems like a fantasy. At this price? Utterly impossible to imagine.