Today we showcase one of the stars of Santa Barbara wine. I have been amazed by the quality of the wines and the QPR produced by this house for more than two decades. Chad Melville has now been at the winemaking helm for many years. A viticulturist at heart, Melville trained under eminent winemaker Greg Brewer for many years.
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 knows this site so well, his family’s 82 acre property that produces marvelous, saline-drenched wines with beautiful texture and poise.
It was back in 1996 when the Melville vineyard was first planted by Chad’s father Ron Melville and his brothers. 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 2022 Melville Rose (OB, 91) which has beautiful earthy nuance and bright red fruits. I love the new 2022 Melville ‘Estate’ Chardonnay (OB, 93) which is such a bargain at this price it is a must purchase by the case. Learn more about this outstanding producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah at http://melvillewinery.com Here are the gorgeous new wines by Melville.
2022 Melville Rose- This 2022 Grenache Rose comes from the Melville estate vineyard. This is a highly complex rose bottling that really needs to be served at a warmer temperature. Guava and red raspberry fruits combine with freshly tilled soils and wild mushroom with salty minerals undercurrents on the palate. The terroir exuded is outstanding. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2022 Melville ‘Estate’ Chardonnay Fresh, lithe and polished on the mouth, the 2022 ‘Estate’ Chardonnay is another killer value made by winemaker and owner Chad Melville. Bananas and poached pear flavors combine with shades of marzipan and copious minerals on the palate. Finishing long with wet stone and rich pastry crust flavors, this is a dazzling effort that is already nicely evolved. Drink 2024-2033-93
2022 Melville ‘Estate Clone 76 Inox’ Chardonnay- The brilliant 2022 Melville ‘Estate Clone 76 Inox’ Chardonnay comes from this famed salty location in the Santa Rita Hills. This is seamless on the mouth, with layers of lime zest and pear alongside white peach and salty accents with shades of wet stone. Delicious to enjoy now, savor this over the next ten years to come. Drink 2024-2024- 94
2022 Melville ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- Juicy and polished, the 2022 Melville ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir is a brilliant value from this killer Santa Rita Hills outpost. On the nose this shows bright Bing cherry and white tea notes alongside salty orange peel. The palate is soft and refined with an elegant texture and bright underlying tension. Rich and layered, enjoy now and over the next ten years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2022 Melville ‘Sandy’s Block’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Sandy’s Block’ comes from a block named after Chad’s beloved Aunt Sandy, this block is situated on the east side of our estate, to the north of the winery. The resultant wine is chalk-filled with salty character and tension, with ripe loganberry and yakima cherry flavors that collide with the salty minerals. Gorgeous in its heady youth, enjoy now and over the next fifteen yeas to come. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Melville ‘Terraces’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Terraces’ is a thrilling new bottling by Melville. This location is set on Clay-rich loam and calcareous shale with vines aged 25 years of age.The wine offers a marvelous purity of red fruits with juicy guava and pomegranate that mingle well with lush honeydew melon and stony accents. A joy to consume now, savor this beauty over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Melville ‘Anna’s Block’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Anna’s Block’ comes from a southern slope of the vineyard that was planted back in 2001. Translucent in the glass, this 2022 Pinot Noir offers a brilliant core of bright red fruits alongside salty soils, fig and shades of kumquat zest. This is really drinking beautifully now and has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Melville ‘Block M’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Block M’ is a killer new bottling by Chad Melville. Once on the nose this takes on layers of dense red fruits that collide with wet stone, salted peach and shades of red licorice candy. The palate is beautifully concentrated, with a smoky accent alongside rich and salty red fruits. Polished with its smooth texture, this is drinking beautifully already. Drink 2024-2039- 96
2022 Melville ‘Estate’ Syrah- Unique and novel, the 2022 Melville ‘Estate’ Syrah is a neatly-textured, medium-bodied wine that literally screams terroir. White pepper dusted bacon, Mandarin orange zest, Linzer torte and shades of pomegranate seed all brilliantly combine on the palate. Great to savor now, this has some really good aging potential. Drink 2024-2032- 94