Santa Rita Hills
This will be our only pinot noir from Melville, and with the way this one turned out, we’re having misgivings about giving up our vineyard plot here. When the grapes were harvested in the fall of 2002, we were impressed by the tiny berries and small clusters, and the yield was hardly a ton to the acre. We liked the wine we made, but weren’t thrilled by it. Thus, in the interest of simplifying my life, and focusing on fewer things at the winery, we had little problem deciding to give up this pinot noir block. But our view changed as soon as the wine hit the bottle. It has blossomed into something very pretty, with an intriguing rose petal aroma. Substantial, yet soft and delicate, this pinot possesses all the charms one looks for in this varietal. We only made 110 cases of this wine, so it is only available direct from the winery.