Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Melville Block M Pinot Noir is a rich crimson-hued color, savory and spicy notes of shiitake mushrooms, cinnamon, star anise and wet slate emerge initially. With time, richer fruit components of strawberry gelatin, orange marmalade and blueberry notes also fill in. The palate impression is assertive, with broad shoulders and ripe tannins that give the wine tremendous depth and intensity.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Light in the glass, this herb-forward bottling begins with aromas of bay leaf, green peppercorn, cracked pepper and wet forest, set against the brisk raspberry core. The palate snaps with underripe raspberry and bramble, veering into the herbal tea tones throughout the sip for a refreshing and complex experience.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Last of the Pinot Noirs, the 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Block M saw a bunch of stems (75% whole clusters) and aging all in neutral oak. Lots of stem influence as well as ripe red and black fruits, forest floor, and gamey, spicy notes emerge from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, it offers ripe, present tannins, good acidity, and all the right components. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following decade.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Block M has very pretty scents of blue and red berries with accents of dried violets, tar and dried herbs. The medium-bodied palate is layered, broody, grainy and seamlessly fresh, with lovely floral perfume coming through on the long finish.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.