2009 Ojai, Syrah “Melville Vineyards” Sta. Rita Hills.
This a magical and intense Syrah that is showing pure Hermitage class character and is amazingly stylish with massive dark fruit, spice, mineral and earthy essences. The Ojai Vineyard and Adam Tolmach wines have always been remarkable and unique, he certainly has crafted hundreds of great Syrahs, from Bien Nacido, White Hawk and other top sites, and his Pinots and Chards are equally lovely and dynamic, so picking a favorite is damn near impossible, but I must confess to falling for the spells of this fantastic Melville Syrah. As a huge fan of Ojai and Melville, this wine was a big bonus and it shows wonderful density, complexity and length with a leading bouquet of violets, campfire, wild game and creme de cassis as well as hints of warm stones, lavender and roasted herbs, the palate holds a wealth of richness showing blackberry, blueberry, black licorice, fig paste, boysenberry pie filling, black olive and white pepper along with hints of woodsy truffle, all spice, vanilla and cherry liqueur. This wine is still lively and gripping with firm tannins and nice acidity, making me think it has another decade of great drinking ahead, this is beautiful and forceful Syrah.
($38 Est.) 94+ Points, grapelive