Melville, Pinot Noir Terraces, Sta. Rita Hills

Very nice. Loads of Cola. Drink

2014 vintage

flawed

2014 vintage

This is drinking beautifully now, with a lovely fruit/acid balance. Just overall balance and the good type of restraint. Cherry and cranberry with some allspice and savory elements and hint of tertiary flavors. Probably at its peak but good for a few more years.

2014 vintage

very good

2014 vintage

Cranberry color; medium bodied, and translucent. Black cherry, cranberry, and rose petals. Good acidity and balance. Quite savoury, presumably the whole cluster thing. Paired beautifully with roast pheasant and roasted autumn veg.

2014 vintage

Melville - I'm Not Talking About Moby Dick There’s the small fact that Moby Dick was written 145 years before the Melville winery was established in the hills of Western Santa Ynez Valley in the Santa Rita Hills. Their similarities, however, are that both are truly epic in their own right. Making Estate wines from their 120 acres that are currently planted; they make predominantly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with some Syrah thrown in for good measure, Ron, along with …

2014 vintage

Delicious Pinot drank with fresh silver salmon. Lighter color. Nice fruit acid balance. Drink or hold.

2014 vintage

Very good pinot.

2014 vintage

Nose of red and black cherry, sweet and sour fruit, and spring flowers, very floral nose, same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, mouth filling fruit, at peak, slightly richer and younger auction bottle than my last auction bottle opened 3 weeks ago, elegant and lovely, did well paired with Smoked Gouda and Medium Sharp Cheddar, and a long, flavorful finish, enjoyed over 2 night, held up well, Photo uploaded.

2014 vintage

Nose of red nd black cherry, sweet and sour fruit, spring flowers, and allspice, same on the palate, medium/big body, very tasty, almost mouth filling fruit, at peak or slightly past it, almost elegant, and a long, flavorful finish and aftertaste.

2014 vintage

good. light pinot with Asian food.

2014 vintage

Excellent Pinot. From what I am used to from this winery, this is somewhat on the older side. I would say it’s an elegant, subtle Pinot with delicate cherry flavors. On first sip, it also had a buttery mouthfeel. I enjoyed this very much but, I enjoy their younger Pinots even more as they pack a little more of a fruit punch.

2014 vintage

This wine was truly singing when I shared it with 2 couples post dinner. It is balanced and pure, a really lovely effort. I am happy to have bought 2 bottles! Last night's wine was ruby colored with medium legs. There was no sediment in the bottle. It smelled like light red fruits to me, like currant, cranberry and strawberry. The body was light/medium and had silky texture. The wine finished medium with medium acidity.

2012 vintage

I used to drink a lot of this wine, mainly the early vintages when Greg Brewer made the wines and Stephen Janes did their Sales GM role--good guys and they together helped me learn a lot about pinot noir. I lost track of the winery when Stephen left, and I do think Greg has also moved on, and I found my way several years ago falling in love with Nor Cal cool climate pinot noir, ala Copain, Rhys, Rivers-Marie and …

2014 vintage

Superb wine. Lean and mean, not the typical SRH style. Light cranberry color, slightly translucent. Stem, oak, Sandlewood and beautiful red fruit. One of the top Pinot from from the area, IMHO.

2014 vintage

Prior bottle was almost a year ago and this bottle exemplified the saying "good things come to those who wait". Nose was almost identical with floral, red cherry, earth and lighter strawberry notes. Opened about 90 minutes ahead of time and showed well from that point forward; no extended time needed. Medium bodied (14.5% ABV) with the same mix of bright red cherry and strawberry upfront that I recalled from my prior bottle. Gains density through the middle before adding …

2012 vintage

Less successful than the resilient '03 it was paired with--tannins pretty much gone, decent acidity, and showing more extraction and charred barrel notes than I find pleasant.

2002 vintage

I used to drink and own a lot of this several years ago but mine are long since drank. So, to see this show up, was a bit of a memory ride. I was surprised at this, leaner in alcohol and style than I was expecting. Listed at 13.5%, it drinks like it too. Medium weighted. The last glass had some cherry tomato acidity.

2014 vintage

Dark is red. Black cherry, soil, and spice. Very nice earthy cherry flavors. Very dry finish. Tannins have subsided and the acid is left.

2002 vintage

Fragrant of fruit , earth and herbs. When I finally got around to putting this in my mouth I was surprised by its lightness (Santa Rita - wise). Lovely, balanced wine.

2012 vintage

Served pop and pour. Light ruby in color, this wine revealed muted notes of Asian spices, allspice, red currant and rose petal on the nose. The mouth feel was light/medium-bodied with silky, soft tannins and more delicate red fruits. The finish has brisk acidity but was reticent to allow the fruit to fully come out. 13.5% abv. Purchased for $55US, I brought this wine to Mica Restaurant in Chestnut Hill, PA to celebrate a special birthday with my GF. This …

2014 vintage

40% whole cluster, 13.5 abv Earthiness on nose Smooth texture, hints of cherry, barnyard notes Improves with time open - suggest minimum 2 hours decanting

2014 vintage

Tasted at winery, part of an excellent lineup.

2014 vintage

Floral, earth, red cherry and strawberry on the nose. The longer it's open, the more expressive on the nose it became. Between medium and full bodied and although accessiable from opening, it's worth waiting a few hours as the wine really hits its stride about three hours or so in. Evolves from what appeared to be a fruit forward style, to a much more elegant wine when given time. Bright and pretty red cherry and strawberry upfront that deepens and …

2012 vintage

Interestingly, this one was much better 5 days after being opened and kept under vacuvin. The heat that typically bothers me with the Melville pinots has burned off and the nose is beautiful now. Very nice vibrant red fruit smells jump out of the glass. Very enjoyable now after a less impressive experience a few days ago.

2012 vintage

Could not Disagree more with flwinos and msuwright. Did not find this wine too sweet at all. Very good flavors of cherry, strawberry and cranberry, some earthiness and spice. This is a pretty typical California style of pinot in my experience. The previously mentioned wineries Peter Michael, Morlet, and wineries such as Hanzell, in addition to being at least double the price of Melville, intend to make wines in the more unripe style of Burgundy which obviously some people, other …

2012 vintage

Could not agree more with msuwright. This is way to sweet, and I am also a fan of CA style pinots that can be highly extracted.

2012 vintage

A grossly sweet Pinot that shows why this varietal sometimes (deservedly) gets a bad name in CA. Light, cloudy red in color, full in body, nose of cough syrup and sweet cherry. Tastes of candy, sweet blueberry, medicine, and straw, with a sugary and syrupy finish. 14.5% alcohol. Don't get me wrong; I like and buy modern, extracted, ripe CA Pinots (e.g., Kosta Browne, Peter Michael, Morlet, Ancillary) - but this is a bridge too far.

2012 vintage

Ran into this bottle tonight and it got my attention. Been a long time since I drank Terraces and if this is the signature/style of the wine these days, I'm jazzed up. There is acid here, along with the requisite stems too that I recall from the style years back. The whole cluster gets the aromatic dialed in, with distinct note--it works great. No obtrusive oak, just red and blue fruit and delicious acidity and weight.

2012 vintage

Decanted for two hours. Warm and swirling torrents of noir fruit leads to camphor, cola, sage brush, cranberry and dark cherry. Very balanced and long, with gobs of fruit on every meridian. She reminds me more of Saint-Sans, with Block M being more reminiscent of Chopin. Another year in the bottle will not hurt the developmental necessities. A perspicuous acidity. Drink 2015 - 2023.

2012 vintage

Very good but needs time.

2012 vintage

Light ruby color with clear rim. Nose: dried cranberry, whortleberry, and ripe red plum with accents of sumac, dried maple leaf, cardamon, star anise, toffee, red rose, damp pine, pink peppercorn, and river stone. Medium body on the palate: dried cranberry, whortleberry, red cherry, and red plum framed by pink peppercorn, cardamon, cinnamon, sumac, pine, star anise, and river stone. Medium+ acidity. Moderate tannins. Lingering red berry/plum skin, spices, and river stone on the long finish. Tremendous class, complexity, and …

2012 vintage

Rosey nose but the least so of their pinots, with more earthy notes than the others. Notes of white and black pepper throughout, medium body which is slightly bigger than either the Sandys or the Indigene.

2012 vintage

David Niederauer's 4th Annual Hobo Dinner: A Night of Surprises (The Plumed Horse Restaurant, Saratoga, California) : Dark cherry red color; black cherry, green herb, gunpowder nose; tart black cherry, green herb, gunpowder palate; medium-plus finish

2002 vintage

12/10 Light bodied - c oncentrated red fruit and steep fine moderately tannic finish - in a good window. 93 pts.

2002 vintage

great

2002 vintage

Drinks much like I commented in my TN from 10/2007. Raspberry, some thicker elements and some metallic notes on the nose, which is also the alcohol mixing into it. Still has the crushed red fruit and minerals and I would say drink up.........finishing the wine a day later, lots of weight in this wine but enough acidity to lift the weight of the fruit. Kind of a red apple jam, if such could exist. And, I just don't find the …

2002 vintage

very nice a little earthy more then expected, dont know if it will get any better.

2002 vintage

A pleasant surprise how well this has developed over the last four years. This is still a big wine with a lot of muscle and torque but the 14.8% alcohol isn't apparent and the tannins are as finessed as I remember. What makes it so enjoyable today is that the syrupy fruit has mostly receded. It has some excessive sweetness for the first hour or so, but after that really mellows out. This is very enjoyable and drinkable. I would …

2002 vintage

Deep, rich fruit, nice acidity and concentration. Starting to show some interesting earthy notes. This would be pretty good if not for the searing heat.

2002 vintage

RICH CHERRY FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR WITH A TOUCH OF EARTHINESS. NICE COMPLEXITY. CONTINUED TO CHANGE AND IMPROVE. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.

2002 vintage

This wine was amazing - still lots of fruit with leather, mushrooms and earth.

2002 vintage

excellent wine cherry candy

2002 vintage

Delicious. A contrast of some earthy notes against silky fruit. Also shows a crushed rock/tannin finish. Likely ready but suspect it will keep going for some time.

2002 vintage

Melville Wine Dinner (Antonello Ristorante - Costa Mesa, CA) : I gave this wine 88 points back in May and I'm pleased to see it is holding up well. Mature aromas of cooked cherries, balsamic vinegar, Asian spice, and dried herbs followed by sour cherries and crushed rocks on the palate. A good wine that is drinking well right now. 88-89 points.

2002 vintage

Been a while since I opened one of these but wanted to treat myself. The TN here is based on bottle being open 24 hours. Interestingly, this wine is still showing a stemmy component, mainly in the nose profile, along with a floral element. Palate shows balckberry, a juicy blueberry feel and acidity, with some grip and astringence on the finish, which I think indicates another few years more to let this one go. All ends with a gamey/sauvage note, …

2002 vintage

Nose of clove, cola, and sour black cherries. On the palate, more sour cherries, forest floor, and minerals. High acidity threw this one off balance, which makes one wonder what will remain as the fruit begins to fade. Some heat on the finish.

2002 vintage

Big Dinner with some Big Wines (Little Giant) : With sweet black fruit jumping out of the glass, this is a yowza wine. Sweet and sappy, it is like curling up in a valour armchair. Still, while it is sexy as hell, I couldn't help but find the whole effort a bit linear. Dense without delineation. Don't get me wrong, it has a lot of charm, but it was a little too much about visceral pleasure without stimulating the mind. …

2002 vintage

Medium to dark ruby color, nose of earth, mushrooms, dark cherries, spice and clove, palate confirming the nose, with smooth tannins and lengthy finish. Delicious! With grilled garlic/orange pork tenderloins, haricots verts, and Zov's classic rice pilaf.

2002 vintage

Really nice and very dry. A little bitter on the finish, but I'd get more.

2002 vintage

Are you sure?

Melville, Pinot Noir Terraces, Sta. Rita Hills

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews