2022 Melville Winery, Pinot Noir, Estate Block M, Small Block Collection, Sta. Rita Hills.
The 2022 M Block Pinot Noir from Chad Melville is brilliant ruby in the glass and nicely youthful and aromatic with a bight fruit intensity, it shows off unfolding layers of black cherry, raspberry, cranberry, strawberry/guava, pomegranate and Valencia orange fruits, along with some whole cluster crunch, a burst of acidity, mineral notes, sassafras, subtle wood and delicate earthiness. The medium bodied palate is satiny and this pretty Pinot lingers on and on, carried on soft tannins and the vibrancy of the acidity making this an expressive wine that is at its best with a meal and a bit more of a serious pairing of dishes. I’ve long been a fan of the Melville family and their wines, they really helped elevate the Sta. Rita Hills AVA and winemaker Chad Melville has continued to new heights with the lineup here. I remember great tastings with Chad’s dad Ron and Greg Brewer, of Brewer-Clifton fame, who was the early long serving winemaker here and being blown away by the quality and value in the regular estate bottlings. The collection of the Small Block wines really take things to the next level here at Melville, and this M Block Pinot Noir, the Terraces Pinot Noir and the Donna’s Syrah are my absolute favorites at Melville, which is set in the cool, windswept heart of the Sta. Rita Hills region. I always use Melville as a reference point when tasting with of Santa Barbara and especially SRH wines, and I highly recommend their estate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah offerings.
A couple of vintages ago, as I was catching up with Melville’s selection of offerings I came across this M Block Pinot Noir, which I’ve never had or seen before, and found it to be one of the most compelling wines in the lineup and thrilled by the cool climate intensity along with a lush fruit density, it was highly enjoyable and impressive in the glass. Sitting above the estate Terraces on the top of the west-side hill lies Block M, as the winery notes, it is exposed directly to cold Pacific wind and intense sun on compact Botella clay, a dusting of sand, with a hardpan under the topsoil, which they say provides a dense and challenging layer for the roots to penetrate, that makes for deeper fruit concentration and smaller yields. These vines are planted with a north to south exposure and Melville has two Dijon clones (114 and 115) here and has remarkably smaller berries and clusters, all helpful in producing a rich and almost full-bodied wine, as this M Block shows. Melville, led by winemaker Chad Melville, says, clone 114 is known for its lush and tender texture, while 115 delivers higher-toned fruit components and is more pronounced structurally, they deliver a perfect ying and yang effect here, creating a striking balance of tension and pleasure. Most vintages get upwards of 80% whole cluster and are made in Chad’s gentle low intervention style and with aging in mostly used barrels to promote transparency and purity, as seen here. The challenging 2022 vintage kept everyone on their toes and was a touch edgy in style, though Melville did as good of a job as anyone in bringing out the best in the fruit, and I think it will improve with another few years in bottle.
($75 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive