Melville, Pinot Noir Estate, Sta. Rita Hills

It just keeps getting better !! I agree with my tasting notes of the past two years. Still in a great spot, this wine is tasting extremely good right now !! The composite cork was perfect after over a decade in the bottle. I consumed this balanced Pinot Noir over two days. Deep ruby color with no oxidation, clarity medium. Aromas of pomegranate and cherry, flavors of cranberry, cherry, rhubarb, and marine soil with a pleasant medium to long finish. …

2009 vintage

Outstanding Pinot. Still had a few years left for aging but very well balanced now Great fruit , great finish Wish we had another!

2008 vintage

I agree with my tasting note of 4 month ago. Still in a great spot, this wine is tasting extremely good right now !! The composite cork was perfect after over a decade in the bottle. I consumed this balanced Pinot Noir over three days a little flabby on day three with flavors of dried fruit. Deep ruby color with no oxidation, clarity medium. Aromas of pomegranate and cherry, flavors of cranberry, cherry, rhubarb, and marine soil with a pleasant …

2009 vintage

In a great spot, this wine is tasting extremely good right now !! Paid under $20 in 2011 for this gem !! The composite cork was perfect after over a decade in the bottle. I consumed this balanced Pinot Noir over two days. Deep ruby color with no oxidation, clarity medium. Aromas of pomegranate and cherry, flavors of cranberry, cherry, rhubarb, and marine soil with a pleasant medium to long finish. Popped and poured, this wine really benefited from gentle …

2009 vintage

Great example of their style. The age has softened some of the more earthy and acidic notes in favor of smooth bright fruit. Good wine with and without food and seems like it will drink well for a while.

2008 vintage

This is drinking amazing for an 11yr Old CA Pinot!! The bouquet is intoxicating with candied red fruit with cherry dominating. The fruit is amazingly integrated, not a hint of any heat, age or oxidation.. if you have any, these still have years ...so no rush but a definite treat to pop one, wish I had a few more.

2009 vintage

Medium bright ruby red in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & plums with overtones of spice notes of allspice & earthy/dusty notes, floral, hints of sous-bois, minerals & herbs. Medium bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, rich ripe fruit flavors of cherries, strawberries & tart cranberries with spices, minerals & herbs. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & at …

2009 vintage

This is in a great spot right now, and could hold (maybe slightly improve) over 2-5 years from now. Perfectly proportioned with a light feel to the cherry, sassafras and mulling spice aromas and flavors. A delicious PN that went well with good ol' pot roast.

2009 vintage

Just short of six years since last tasting, this still delivers a full bodied big pinot. Mostly a maroon, some purple, with a spice coffee tobacco ripe cherry nose. Weighty, with a sweet peppered cherry punch, not much in the way of any tart flavors. The acidity has distinctly mellowed, maybe too much, since 2011.

2009 vintage

A couple of years ago I wrote this "...certainly not a wine for the acidity-subdued fruit-craving Pinot lover. This is a hedonistic approach to Pinot with tons of fruit and a body that would make an Italian Cabernet seem shy." Well, this is perhaps still true, but another three years in the cellar certainly has done this effort a lot of justice. Everything is now more tightly wound together. Everything is in place and nothing is over the top. There …

2008 vintage

Ripe and classy mature strawberry and red darkish fruits accompanied by sun warm blackberry jam. Might not sound like your best Pinot, but in this effort it is so "spot on", there is no better expression than just that... Without the slightest doubt a typical example of a hedonistic Melville Pinot. The palate delivers the typical and classical silkiness combined with a brilliant length on the finish. Adding to these rather extrovert and perhaps equivoke first impressions are texture and …

2008 vintage

First impression is that of ripe mature strawberry, red fruit and sun warm lemon curd. This is without doubt a typical example of a hedonistic Melville pinot. The palate adds the classical silkiness and a super nice length on the finish. Adding to the extrovert first impressions are texture as well as structure. Still it should be said, acidity and any tannins are embedded in a lovely veil of fruit. There are no hard edges. The wine has certainly integrated …

2008 vintage

interesting...a bit faded as it's got more crabapple in the color than purple. spice nose. integrated well...a little aged...deeper cherry core than most pinots...light mouthfeel with stronger cherry and strawberry core fruit...a bit of tar and decent tannins? Maybe a little syrah or grenache in the blend? nice and stronger/heavier flavor profile than most pinot's i've had from this vintage and appellation.

2009 vintage

Nice tone of strawberries and cherry. A little high on acid and short on tannins. Good drinking now. Reckon it will stay put another few years before decaying.

2009 vintage

Just as good tonight as during last tasting. Impeccable balance between red fruit, the classy and classical Melville typical elegant strawberry jam and acidic citrus tones. These are all adjoined by sun dried orange and lemon zest. Lovely grapefruit tones emerge on the finish accompanied by a totally integrated impression. Drink now - no reason to wait even though the wine will allow for yet another year or so before "primary" fruit starts fading.

2009 vintage

No decant. Drinks like a warm-weather California Pinot, not one born and bred in the cooler Santa Rita Hills. Vibrant purple ruby with glistening legs with an aroma of stewed raspberries and toasty oak. Coats the palate with a melange of plums, raspberries, cherries and crushed hillside herbs. Heavy, thundering finish. Once again proves that cellaring these Melvilles for a few years (even many of their whites) pays dividends.

2009 vintage

Prime drinking right now. Nice balance between red fruit, the Melville typical strawberry jam and the acidic citrus tones. Lovely length ion the finish and a totally integrated impression. Drink now or hold maybe for another year.

2009 vintage

Decanted for one hour before service. In the glass, a pink tint at the rim, shading to dark clear red in the center. On the nose, cherry cola and nutmeg. On the palate, smooth, fruit-forward pinot with spice and minerality, could easily be mistaken for an RRV pinot in terms of spice and texture. This is likely at its peak, so drink up.

2009 vintage

Delivering the same intense ripe fruit as always. Strawberry, cherry jam and a lovely array of citrus zest with orange, lime and lemon as main components. A very intense nose, to say the least, but still very nice. The palate follows through nicely with balance and integration as main characteristics. The wine is surely approachable tonight and I see no reason to cellar further.

2009 vintage

Big wine with lots of fruit, yes, with high alcohol,14.5% but it tasted great, balanced, complex with tannins that worked well with the fruit, drank with veal parmesan, not sure it will develop more; drink up; would drink again; I like Melville wines; dark color with lots of glycerin on the glass.

2008 vintage

ruby red; juicy, cherry compote nose w/a little bit of rubber band; med-full weight; fountain cherry coke all the way, not in an unpleasant sense, earthy mid-palate keeps it from being boring, sassafras & tea leaves on the low acid finish. these composite corks make me nervous about holding for much more than 5 years; in fact, this is the right time to consume this bottle - it may develop more nuance, but find this style less intriguing than ever. …

2009 vintage

Without the slightest doubt a Melville Pinot. This is certainly not a wine for the acidity-subdued fruit-craving Pinot lover. This is a hedonistic approach to Pinot with tons of fruit and a body that would make an Italian Cabernet seem shy. The nose is full throttle with ripe mature strawberry, red fruit and sun warm lemon curd. The palate adds silkiness and a very nice length on the finish. Of course there is structure and texture too, this is certainly …

2008 vintage

This is drinking well. Beautiful ruby color. The cherry cola is still there but giving some ground to other earthier notes. Some tobacco and leather maybe coming from the stems. Long tart finish. It has gained complexity from last tasting a couple of years ago, but I wouldn't say it was a super harmonious structured wine.

2009 vintage

Unbalanced with too alcoholic taste. This is a rather poor wine. I have given it better ratings earlier, but I will stop buying it now.

2009 vintage

An inviting nose of boysenberry, raspberry, gardenia and spices lead through to much of the same on the lively palate.

2008 vintage

Lovely lines, cherry dark and sour, cobbler, cinnamon, nutmeg

2009 vintage

Pleasant, full-bodied, clean, varietally correct Pinot flavors. Tasted more like a north coast pinot than central coast.

2009 vintage

Light, crisp

2009 vintage

Great cherry strawberry nose. Very fruity, low tannin, medium bodies. Slightly bitter on the after taste. Pretty and nice

2009 vintage

No other grape varietal in the world conveys its terrior (loosely translated as “sense of place”) better than Pinot Noir, and there are few wine regions whose soil and terrior are more unique than the Santa Rita Hills on California’s Central Coast (roughly about 30 to 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara). This wine conveys that classic SRH terrior perfectly, which is difficult to describe/explain unless you’ve experienced many different versions of Pinot from the SRH as I have. And …

2009 vintage

Candied red cherry nose. Softish flavor, sour cherry. Not the best showing given price. Unfortunate.

2009 vintage

Pleasant but not very memorable. Fruit driven - spiced cherry.

2009 vintage

Delicious opening to a Memorial Day Weekend, accompanying Copper River Salmon grilled on a cedar plank. At its core a full-throttle, ripe Santa Rita Hills Pinot with gobs of ripe berries (blackberries, boysenberries, blueberries), tar notes and hints of cedar. The aroma alone is enchanting . . . But let it sit . . . And it develops some nice secondary characteristics that are more Burgundy than California. Beautiful now; I won't wait long to uncork the other bottle waiting …

2009 vintage

A little hot, but absolutely delicious. Wonder if these puppies age well??

2008 vintage

Somewhere between a little thin and nicely restrained, with some nice fruit. A bit harsh on the finish.

2008 vintage

Pop and pour, bright fruit, nice length and structure, reminded me of a Sonoma Coast PN.

2008 vintage

WXTP Tasting (Brad's Place) : Not undrinkable, but this was made in a style that I really cannot appreciate. It had a nice nose actually, with a very full, rich bouquet of black cherries patted down with earth and laden with lots of attractive wood spice aromas, cloves at the forefront I thought. There was quite a bit of oak, but this was nicely integrated in the nose. Very nice. Unfortunately, the palate was a bit of a shock to …

2008 vintage

too fruit tasting

2008 vintage

Great nose - red fruit, raspberry, smoky finish

2008 vintage

Really hitting it's peak right now. Excellent Pinot that has everything in balance.

2008 vintage

Ett opretentiöst och skönt, runt vin av amerikansk prägel. Precis rätt grad av krydda varvat med kraftig fruktighet. Det är svårt att inte gilla den här typen av vin. Men i det är sällskapet av viner så kändes det något av det enklare snittet. Dock var det en av provarnas favorit. kanske vinner den sköna framtoningen i längden och vill man bjuda på ett bra exempel på fin amerikansk pinot då är detta flaskan.

2008 vintage

great QPR, love this wine

2008 vintage

Medium garnet red. Aromas of strawberry, cherry, vanilla, carmel and cloves. A little acidic. Flavors of strawberry, raspberry, white pepper and leather. There is a creaminess that shows at mid palate. Took it out of storage at 55F. A quick taste at opening was OK. Once the wine came to room temperature and had a chance to catch it's breath, the aromas and flavors really came through. Great now and with a little more time in the bottle, even better.

2008 vintage

Silky and smooth. Served slightly chilled (48 F) and enjoyed it very much. Refreshing and light, but not overly so. As mentioned before....my wife's favorite pinot....like it so much we will be visiting Melville winery in August...

2008 vintage

Truly nice with a massive nose full of red currants, raspberries and strawberries. Pleasant acidity matches a voluptuous palate which lasts for about 45 seconds. The 2008 is a bit less complex and more rough compared to the 2007. My guess is this will drink well for another year or so and the need to rest for 3-5 years. Recommended.

2008 vintage

quick note. drank at restaurant. popped and poured. dark ruby color. nose shows typical pinot fruit, but palate bordering on spritzy. ? some mild secondary fermentation vs just lively acid? anyway fruit intact on palate and pleasant but non-memorable finish. overall it seemed a bit disjointed but adequate enough for the short term.

2008 vintage

Dinner party Popped and poured. Violet and garnet. Blackberry, cola, cherry syrup, mud and lavender. Full-bodied and soft tannin. Medium finish and a plush mouth feel. Nice mid. Very ready and quite enjoyable. Drink now - 2016.

2008 vintage

Not sure of this wine. 3rd bottle with similar results. Seems out of balance. Big brooding dark fruit with some spice and oak...much better after a 2 hour decant-horrible right out of the bottle. Something is just not right.....it's not integrated and it hasn't rounded out the edges. Don't know if this will improve, but will let the remaining bottles sit for awhile.

2008 vintage

Light and fruity. Nice finish with just the right amount of lingering. My wife's favorite pinot and a solid everyday wine that pairs well with a variety of lighter fare. A great wine to drink while making dinner. An open bottle never makes it to day 2......and that says quite a bit for my house.

2008 vintage

Terrific every day drinking Pinot.

2008 vintage

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Melville, Pinot Noir Estate, Sta. Rita Hills

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