\”The 2018 Gandona is superb. Inky Dark fruit, gravel, spice, chocolate, menthol and licorice infurse the 2018 with striking layers of complexity, all with firm mountain tannins that give the wien shape, energe and drive. The 2018 is a real powerhouse. I can\’t remember tasting a wine from this property with so much sturcture and tannin. Readers should plan on giving the 2018 plenty of air. I found the 2018 really blossomed a number of hours after opening.\”
– By Antonio Galloni, 97 Points

Another powerhouse from Philippe Melka 2013 Gandona is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and shows great purity of fruit and place. Black current, blackberries, red plum rounds out a few of the fresh ripe fruits. More importantly is the sense of place that is reflected in the wine. Loam, earth, red rocks, and other mineral notes surround the fruit.

Gandona was founded in 2006 when Manuel and Cristina Pires purchased the former Long Vineyards on Pritchard Hill. Pires grew up in Portugal where he spent many seasons on his grandfathers farm, and he later headed up a major international security company. But Pires was drawn to the Napa Valley, which reminded him of Portugals celebrated Douro wine region where his grandfather farmed. Pires hired consultant Philippe Melka as winemaker and Jim Barbour as vineyard manager. Both men are widely admired in California and elsewhere. Melka started his career at Chteau Haut Brion and worked in most of the major winemaking regions of the world before settling in Napa Valley.