2002 SYRAH MELVILLE
Santa Rita Hills
Melville's Santa Rita Hills
vineyard site is the coolest of our syrah producers, and the climate
has a profound effect on the character of this wine. You'll observe
peppery, spicy and floral notes that you never see in wines from
warmer vineyards. We use some of our edgiest winemaking techniques
with this wine because the raw material demands it, and its potential
would not be realized if we used more conventional methods. And,
while we are big fans of low yields in the vineyard, in this case
we have no choice because we couldn't consistently ripen the syrah
here unless we kept the crop small. Melville is also the most
exotic of the six vineyard designated syrahs we make. It is the
one that gets all the attention because it has so much upfront
appeal. The aroma of this wine is so compelling, and the flavors
so rich, that it is hard not to like it right away. However, don't
mistake this wine for an early drinker, it has a serious backbone
of tannin that will ensure many years of positive development
as the wine ages.