Still fully under the radar, Melville is one of outstanding producers of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah in the Santa Rita Hills. I first visited this property back in 2003 and was blown away with the quality of wines for the price. This house has really been a pillar of consistency over the years. This outstanding property has had Chad Melville at its helm for several years after being under Greg Brewer’s guidance. Chad has been crafting some absolutely stunning wines and has created his unique winemaking style. I absolutely love the saline-driven terroir that he is able to mold into his wines. He not only makes the wines but also helps farm his 82 acre property at Melville.
Melville’s vineyards were first planted in 1996 by his father Ron Melville and his brothers which was quite unique at the time. The vineyard was planted to 14 different clones of Pinot Noir and 4 different clones of Chardonnay, as well as Syrah and Viognier. The new releases by Chad Melville were simply gorgeous across the board, none more so than the 2021 Melville Rose (OB, 91) which shows a beautiful astringency and comes off very refined and subtle. I love the new 2020 Melville ‘Estate’ Chardonnay (OB, 93) which is such a bargain at this price it is a must purchase by the case. I adored the new 2020 Melville ‘Block M’ Pinot Noir (OB, 95) which his big and beautiful with its intense core of fruits and veil of salinity. Learn more about this outstanding producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah at http://melvillewinery.com Here are the gorgeous new wines by Melville.
2021 Melville Rose- Made from estate Grenache grapes, this was aged in largely neutral oak prior to bottling. The aromatic range is really good from melon fruits to red florals and damp earth tones. Crisp and bone dry, this shows off bight acidity and a silky texture. This is delicious stuff to consume right now. Drink 2022-2026- 91
2020 Melville ‘Santa Rita Hills Estate’ Pinot Noir- Entirely aged in neutral oak for twelve months, this has 17 different clones blended in. Gorgeous red currants, red florals and red cherry candy all mark the nose, with salty undertones. The palate is rich and layered with soft tannins that frame a great core of saline dusted red fruits. Finishing long, this will easily hold for another decade. Drink 2022-20232- 93
2020 Melville ‘Sandy’s Block’ Pinot Noir- This site is roughly 5 acres which is a sandy site located on the Eastside of the property. This saw roughly 30% stem inclusion and was aged for fifteen months in neural oak before bottling. Very salty on the nose from the terroir, this evokes smoky undertones with the sandy soils and citrus blossom tones alongside pomegranate seed. The palate is vibrant and fresh with serious tension. Very pretty red guava and cranberry flavors collide with the salty soils on the palate. Enjoy over the next decade. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2020 Melville ‘Anna’s Block’ Pinot Noir- This is sourced from an eight acre portion on the westside of the property, utilizing Dijon clone 114 and 667. This spent fifteen months in neutral oak prior to bottling, using roughly 50% stem inclusion. Garrigue notes combine with salty soils and beautiful red cherry and red rose petals on the nose. The mouthfeel is big and bold from the stem inclusion. Deeply concenterated, this has gobs of mouth-watering acidity which brings you back to the glass for more. Drink 2022-2034- 94
2020 Melville ‘Terraces’ Pinot Noir- The 2020 Melville ‘Terraces’ Pinot Noir is crafted from five clonal selections, as this saw roughly 50% whole cluster fermentation and then was stored in neutral oak for fifteen months prior to bottling. The palate is beautifully balanced with light tannins that hold in place a core of black raspberry, teaberry and salty soils. Complex and delicious, consume this beauty over the next decade. Drink 2022-2033- 93
2020 Melville ‘Block M’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Block M’ combines Dijon clonal selections 114 and 115 and spent 80% whole cluster fermentation. Showing off a deeper core than any of the Pinot Noirs, this revels in more black fruits also than the other wines, with black cherry compote, scorched earth and fresh sage. Powerful and intense, this really needs another year in the bottle to be fully aroused — but what potential! Drink 2023-2040- 95
2020 Melville ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Syrah- The 2020 Melville ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Syrah saw 40% whole cluster fermentation and was crafted from 7 different Syrah clones. Super stony, this shows wet stone and iodine tones with beef drippings and a dusting of white pepper. The palate is rich and viscous with great verve and viscosity. Salty and very savory, this beautiful wine is already beautifully evolved. Drink 2022-2030- 94
2020 Melville ‘Donna’s Block Barrel Sample’ Syrah- (93-95)
2020 Melville ‘Santa Rita Hills Estate’ Chardonnay- Aged in neutral oak, the 2020 Melville ‘Santa Rita Hills Estate’ Chardonnay is a stunning new wine by Chad Melville. Once on the nose this takes on layers of saline drenched Japanese pear, white peach, brioche and shades of toasted hazelnuts. Rich and viscous, with outstanding mouth-watering acidity and richness, this finishes very long with vanilla cream and starfruit tones. Drink 2022-2028- 93