This is 100% Melville fruit from their Sta. Rita Hills estate and is a collection of seventeen Pinot Noir clones. 40% of the fruit was fermented as whole-clusters with 60% gently de-stemmed in small 1.5 ton open top fermenters. Total skin and stem contact averaged 30 days (7-day cold soak, 2+ weeks of fermentation and 1+ week extended maceration). From the press, the wine was transferred directly into neutral barrel (15+ year old French oak), where it remained sur lie without sulfur until July, when it was gently racked for the first time and prepared for bottling in August.
ANTONIO GALLONI’S VINOUS MEDIA 93 POINTS – “Creamy berry fruit, leather, tobacco and cedar join together in a seamless package as the 2023 Pinot Noir Estate makes its opening arguments. It delivers much concentration and energy, all wrapped in tingly blood orange acids and flickers of flinty, smoky reduction. The 2023 is deeply complex and perfectly melded together. Best of all, it’s a fantastic value.”
ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE 92+ POINTS – “Tasted just three weeks after its bottling, the 2023 Pinot Noir Estate is already showing beautifully. The nose presents powerful dark fruit and citrus peel aromas with spry energy, notes that are mirrored on the silky, refined palate. It finishes with a lovely balance between saturated fruits and a powdery, subtly drying structure. I look forward to checking back on this after a bit more time in bottle.”
