Melville Estate Chardonnay 2016
-
Wine &
Spirits - Decanter
-
Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
This grows on the east side of the Hills, where the fruit can capture a modicum of warmth. The wine smells of wet loam and sea air, with a walnut-skin lining. Flavors of crisp apple and lemon channel those mineral notes toward a brisk, taut finish. For plank-roasted trout. Best Buy
-
Decanter
The Melville family farms 49ha organically in heart of this cool-climate AVA, adopting a minimalist approach in the cellar. This entry-level Chardonnay is broad and expansive, with forward aromas of green fig, celery and grapefruit, and a fresh yet creamy palate of lemon curd, toasted almonds, warm hay and sweet oak spice.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The larger production 2016 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills offers a more tropical, upfront, perfumed style compared to the Clone 76 Inox release. White peach, pineapple, citrus, and floral notes, medium-bodied richness, solid acidity, and a crisp, clean finish all make for a delicious, high quality Chardonnay that has loads to love.
Other Vintages
2022-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck
-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck
-
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
Melville is a family-owned, 100% estate, organic vineyard and winery in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County.
They produce Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, and a small amount of Grenache. All their wines, from the flagship Estate
Pinot Noir to the Small Lot Collection Donna's Block Syrah, are hand-grown and hand-made 100 cases at a time.
Their founder Ron Melville carefully selected the location of the estate for its proximity to the Pacific Ocean as well as
the soil composition - predominantly sandy loam and diatomaceous earth with sections of clay. You can be too close
to the ocean and struggle with getting fruit ripe, and you can also be further away and struggle with temperatures that
are too hot...Melville is in the sweet spot.
The Melville's have been practicing responsible farming for over three decades, and since 1997 in the Sta. Rita Hills
when brothers Chad and Brent Melville planted the estate vineyards (before the AVA was formally established). They
take great pride in their commitment to "winegrowing"…working in harmony with Mother Nature to nurture their land
through organic and sustainable farming practices to ensure that all of the most crucial work is done in the vineyard.
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is incredibly unique for a few reasons:
• It lies within a transverse mountain range, meaning that the mountains on either side of the valley are running
east-to-west from the ocean rather than north-to south. This is the only transverse mountain range in North
America.
• It has the longest growing season in North America. The growing season starts early (bud bread in late
February) and ends relatively late (Melville is often harvesting into late November) because they have a mild winter
and a cold, sunny summer. This environment of consistent "cold sunshine" allows for a long, slow ripening
and wines that showcase high acidity with ripe aromas/flavors.
Stylistically, They choose to only use neutral wood. With the vines being 25+ years old, they have reached a maturity
that Melville is proud of. The vines are creating the best fruit ever and they want their customers taste the flavors of Sta.
Rita Hills and Mother Nature in their purest form.
Stem inclusion during fermentation has been a key to Melville wines. They create aromatic lift, add tannins, and can
bring another dimension of flavor to the palate, including savoriness and spiciness. When using stems, it is important
to ensure they are fully ripe to avoid green, unpleasant, vegetal flavors. Fortunately, the Sta. Rita Hills' long growing
season allows for fully ripened stems.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.