Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills, 2009
Vivid red. High-pitched aromas of redcurrant,
strawberry and blood orange, with a lively mineral quality.
Tangy and precise, offering sweet red fruit and floral
flavors and a touch of bitter herbs. This comes in at
14% alcohol but seems far lighter. Finishes on a resonating
note of wild strawberry and with impressive precision.
91
points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar
© International
Wine Cellar
Pinot Noir, Ampelos, 2008
The 2008 Pinot Noir Ampelos Vineyard
(biodynamically farmed site with clay soils utilized
by Brewer-Clifton as well) has deep, rich plum and black
currant fruit with some roasted herbs, damp earth, and
spice box. It is a chewy, structured wine, large-scaled,
full-bodied but tannic, although not as backward as the
Turner (no doubt because it possesses more richness and
density). Patience is suggested, as this wine will benefit
from 1-2 years of bottle age and keep for at least a
decade or more. 91+ points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #190
Deep, bright red. Lively red fruits
and minerals on the nose, with hints of white pepper
and allspice adding complexity. Nervy, focused strawberry
and raspberry flavors give way to a deeper cherry quality
in the mid-palate and show very good clarity. Silky and
seamless, with excellent finishing thrust and lingering
spiciness.
92 points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar
© International
Wine Cellar
Pinot Noir, Las Hermanas, 2008
Very limited in production, the 2008
Pinot Noir Las Hermanas (only about 100 cases) displays
sweet plum, boysenberry, and black cherry fruit with
some incense, underbrush, and spice. The wine has a deep
ruby/plum color, a broad, savory mouthfeel, supple tannins,
and a velvety, opulent finish. Drink it over the next
6-7 years. 93 points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #190
Bright red. Pure, assertively perfumed
aromas of strawberry, raspberry and rose, with a sexy
Asian spice quality and a hint of blood orange. Smells
like a ripe Chambolle. Racy and precise, offering sappy
red berry and cherry flavors and notes of allspice and
cinnamon. Light on its feet but this packs a punch, finishing
with echoes of spice and minerals and with excellent
persistence.
92 points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar
© International
Wine Cellar
Pinot Noir, Melville, 2008
The brilliant 2008 Pinot Noir Melville
combines impressive elegance with fruit intensity and
power. Deep ruby/purple in color, with notes of blueberry
pie interwoven with raspberries and black cherries, this
is a long, heady wine with a subtle touch of oak, superb
concentration, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. Combining
finesse with density, this wine should drink nicely for
7-8 years. 94 points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #190
Full red. An exotic, pungent bouquet
displays scents of black raspberry, cherry-cola, Asian
spices and nori, with a strong floral overtone. Round,
seamless and sappy, offering sweet red and dark berry
flavors that gain intensity with aeration. Powerful but
light on its feet, with superb finishing clarity and
resonating rose and cola notes. 93
points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar
© International
Wine Cellar
Pinot Noir, Turner, 2008
The most backward, structured, and
most difficult wine to evaluate is the dark plum/ruby/purple
2008 Pinot Noir Turner Vineyard. This wine is tannic,
slightly austere, but exhibits loads of earthiness with
hints of fresh mushrooms, roasted herbs, forest floor,
and red and black fruits. Give it another 1-2 years of
bottle age and drink it over the following 7-8. 88+ points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #190
Vivid red. Ripe red fruit on the
nose, with complicating notes of cinnamon, brown sugar
and
rose. Deep, smoky redcurrant and cherry flavors are given
spine by juicy acidity and pick up a hint of musky underbrush
with air. The most serious of these pinots, with an intriguing
interplay of bitter cherry, berry fruit and herbs on
the very long, spicy finish. 91
points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar
© International
Wine Cellar
Syrah, Ampelos 2008
A beautiful effort, the opaque ruby/purple-hued,
Mediterranean-styled 2008 Syrah Ampelos Vineyard exhibits
a meaty, spicy, peppery personality revealing lots of
roasted herb notes. Fleshy and medium to full-bodied,
it should improve with another year or two in the bottle,
and keep for at least a decade. 91+ points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #190
Bright violet. Intriguing, highly perfumed
aromas of blackcurrant, cherry, iron and tobacco, with
powerful floral and black olive accents; smells like
a Cornas. Graceful and focused, with sweet dark fruit
and violet pastille flavors that completely stain the
palate. Suave and fat-free wine, with excellent clarity,
length and a lingering floral quality. 93
points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar
© International
Wine Cellar
Syrah, Melville 2008
The real blockbuster is the 2008 Syrah
Melville Vineyard, a California version of a French Cote
Rotie. The small amount of Viognier included in the blend
has resulted in an exotic floral character intermixed
with notes of Allspice, black raspberries, black currants,
and bacon fat. The incredibly complex aromatics are followed
by a full-bodied, opulent, voluptuously textured wine
with silky tannins as well as abundant characterand personality.
Drink it over the next 7-8 years. 94 points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #190
Bright ruby. Brighter red fruits on
the nose than the Ampelos, with complicating notes of
Asian spices, potpourri and minerals. Racy and spicy
on entry, then richer in the mid-palate, offering sweet
raspberry and cherry flavors with notes of licorice and
candied flowers. Finishes with impressive clarity, a
strong echo of spices and persistent red fruit and floral
character. This will age on its balance. 92
points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar
© International
Wine Cellar
Grenache Rosé, 2008
Orange-pink. Exotically perfumed bouquet of raspberry,
peach and flowers. Round and subtly sweet, with fleshy
red berry and pit fruit flavors braced by a note of bitter
citrus pith. The smooth finish echoes with raspberry.
Chad Melville told me that he aged this wine for a bit
on viognier skins, which no doubt provided its exotic
character. 91
points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar #147
© International
Wine Cellar
The Central Coast’s answer to a full-bodied
French Tavel is Samsara’s 2008 Grenache Rose.
Aromas of strawberries and cherries along with surprising
body,
firm acidity, and a hint of tannin are found in this
dry, flavorful, well-structured rose. It should drink
nicely
for 12-18 months. 90 points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #184
Syrah, Verna's, 2007
The 2007 Syrah Verna’s Vineyard exhibits
a dense black/purple color as well as notes of graphite,
charred herbs, black raspberries, blueberries, new saddle
leather, and earth. Ripe, full-bodied, rich, beautifully
textured, and pure, it should provide plenty of pleasure
over the next 6-7 years. 93 points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #184
Bright purple. Drop-dead sexy aromas
of blackberry, boysenberry and black olive, with sexy
Asian spice and floral qualities adding complexity. Deep,
focused and spicy, offering vibrant raspberry, cherry
compote, allspice and cinnamon flavors, with silky tannins
lending support. A nervy spine of minerality adds cut
to the long, vibrant, peppery finish. This is a superb
value. 93 points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar #147
© International
Wine Cellar
Complex, with a mix of spice,
wild berry, blackberry, pepper, tobacco and vegetal sage
flavors, full-bodied
and balanced, gaining depth and persistence on the
finish. Drink now through 2016. 220 cases made. 90
points
James Laube, Wine Spectator
Syrah, Ampelos, 2007
Rich, intense and concentrated,with
flavors structured around firm, beefy, peppery wild berry,
blackberry,
mineral and sage. Bold, full-bodied and slow to unfold,
this shows a wonderful core of dense
fruit. Drink now through 2017. 92 points
James Laube, Wine Spectator
Opaque purple. The deep, exotically
scented bouquet of boysenberry, cherry-cola and oak spices
reminded me of a Cote-Rotie from Bonnefond. Lush and
creamy in texture, offering sweet red and dark berry
flavors and powerful but integrated tannins. Picks up
notes of black olive and black pepper with air and finishes
with excellent clarity and sweet persistence. This is
complex enough to drink right now.
92 points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar #147
© International
Wine Cellar
The
2007 Syrah Ampelos Vineyard offers abundant amounts
of black fruits intermixed with notions of roasted
herbs, bouquet garni, and charcoal. Also ripe and full-bodied,
but not as complex as the Verna’s, it is
a backward, tannic effort that will benefit from
1-2 years of
cellaring,
and will keep for a decade. 91
points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #184
Syrah, Melville, 2007
The star of this quartet is the
2007 Syrah Melville Vineyard. It offers gorgeously
sweet blueberry
and blackberry fruit interwoven with hints of raspberries,
tapenade, graphite, and truffles. An underlying minerality
is more obvious than in the other two Syrahs, and
the full-bodied Melville is substantial in size, richness,
and length. It should age nicely for a decade. 94
points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #184
Inky ruby. Highly perfumed nose
displays aromas of candied red berries, spicecake and
incense.
The palate displays a deeper dark berry character, along
with notes of candied flowers and clove. Offers an intriguing
array of high- and low-pitched fruit qualities and finishes
with excellent clarity and spicy persistence. 93 points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar #147
© International
Wine Cellar
Rich and complex, with savory herb,
beef, spice and dried berry flavors that are intense,
full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a long, persistent
finish weaving the flavors together. Drink now through
2017. 92 points
James Laube, Wine Spectator
Pinot Noir, Las Hermanas, 2007
Hazy red. Seductively perfumed
aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, dried flowers
and white pepper, with a suave, smoky quality gaining
strength with air. Deeply pitched red and dark berry
flavors are complicated by smoked meat, rose and orange
peel, with silky tannins adding support. Impressively
fresh yet powerful, with strong finishing sweetness
and lingering spice and floral notes. 92 points.
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar #147
© International
Wine Cellar
The
2007 Pinot Noir Las Hermanas exhibits a dense ruby/plum,
nearly opaque color along with rich,
full-bodied notes of blue and black fruits intermixed
with notions of charcoal, earth, and spring flowers,
good
acidity, impressive concentration as well as texture,
and a robust yet silky finish. 91 points.
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #184
An elegant and extremely pure nose
that is ripe, fresh and layered with a plum and spice
character that complements themedium-weight flavors that
are less obviously ripe than the nose, allwrapped in
a moderately firm, balanced and dusty finish. This is
really quite good and worth your attention. 91/2013+
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Pinot Noir, Turner, 2007
The fruit and glycerin levels may be even
more impressive in the 2007 Pinot Noir Turner Vineyard.
There are fewer nuances in the aromatics, but the wine
offers a beautiful blue and red fruit, incense, forest
floor, earth, and spice-scented bouquet. Rich, full-bodied,
and opulent, more aromatics should emerge with another
year or two of bottle age. 91
points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #184
A more elegant and equally fresh nose
offers up pure red berry fruit and earth hints that also
characterize the slightly less concentrated middle weight
flavors that posses even more complexity on the energetic,
mouth coating and impressively long finish. A qualitative
choice between two excellent wines. 91/2013+
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Deep, bright red. Riper and more powerful
than the Las Hermanas, showing blackberry and cherry
on the nose along with notes of violet and black tea.
More energetic in the mouth, offering rich red and dark
berry preserve and bitter cherry flavors and a note of
anise. The finish repeats the dark berry note and hangs
on with very good tenacity. Fans of masculine pinot will
find my score stingy. 90 points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar #147
© International
Wine Cellar
Pinot Noir, Ampelos, 2007
Vivid ruby color. Hypnotic aromas
of raspberry and blackberry preserves, cinnamon, potpourri
and smoky minerals. Deep, weighty and powerful but
energetic, offering fresh red berry and Asian spice
flavors, with candied rose and anise notes on the back.
Finishes with serious punch and superb clarity. Very
spicy and rich pinot. 93 points
Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar #147
© International
Wine Cellar
This continues the pattern with its
expressive nose that is also quite fresh and pure with
lightly spiced plum, red pinot and raspberry with a background
note of cranberry that precedes suave and cool flavors
that possess good mid-palate fat and overall, good to
very good balance with the only nit being a noticeable,
if subtle, trace of warmth. Be sure to maintain the proper
serving temperature. 90/2013+
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Playing it closer to the vest is the outstanding,
deep ruby/purple-tinged 2007 Pinot Noir Ampelos Vineyard.
Notes of roasted herbs, lavender, black currants, black
cherries, and charcoal are accompanied by a deep, structured,
layered, impressively endowed, shy Pinot that is loaded
with potential. Give it a year or two of cellaring, and
enjoy it over the following 8-10 years. 90
points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #184
Pinot Noir, Melville, 2006
Very full-bodied and rich, a densely structured wine
that's too young to appreciate now. The cherries, raspberries,
currants, roasted coconut, mocha frappacino, date nut
bread, candied ginger, orange tea and sandalwood box are
exotic and almost overpowering, but the wine never loses
its tense control. Now through 2012, at least. 94 points
Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast
Pinot Noir, Ampelos, 2006
Partial whole-cluster fermentation gives this wine an earthy,
tannic closeness, making it unsuitable for drinking now.
But it's extraordinarily rich in cherry and currant fruit,
with such a long sweet finish that it has got to be an ager.
Try after 2009. 93 points
Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast
Pinot Noir, Turner, 2006
Exotically spicy, with a taste of raspberry and black cherry
pastry filling, dates, cassis and clove spice. Very full-bodied,
rich and dense, but dry and balanced. A "wow"
wine that should improve over the next four to six years.
92 points
Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast
Syrah, Alder Springs, 2006
The star of this portfolio comes from further
north in Mendocino rather than from the Central Coast. The
2006 Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard reveals beautiful notes
of boysenberries, black raspberries, and sweet cherries
as well as tremendous opulence, medium to full body, a seamless
integration of acidity, tannin, and alcohol, and a long
finish. Consume this beauty over the next 5-6 years. 92
points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #177
Syrah, Melville, 2005
Absolutely spectacular, the 2005 Syrah Melville
Vineyard shows classic black olive, blackberry, bacon fat,
and earthiness with an inky purple color, full-bodied richness,
as well as a hint of charcoal. Great intensity matched by
equally impressive texture and a multi-dimensional mouthfeel
result in a terrific Syrah to drink over the next 5-6 years.
94 points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #172
Pinot Noir, Melville, 2005
The outstanding 2005 Pinot Noir Melville
Vineyard reveals the blueberry character that seems to
come from
this vineyard, as well as floral notes. In the mouth, this
dark ruby-colored Pinot exhibits beautiful sweetness,
round,
medium to full-bodied flavors, and excellent acidity, purity,
and overall harmony. It will drink well for 5-6 years. 90
points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate #172
Chad Melville has spread his wings
with excellent, deep, rich, superlow production Syrahs and
new Pinot.
Anthony Dias Blue's Pocket Guide to Wine
Leaving rural Zimbabwe with
the gift of pancakes
Before Chad started Samsara, he spent a few months
as a game park cook in southern Africa, learning on the
job and teaching his assistant how to make pancakes from
scratch. Click
here to read the full article.
Breeding ground: Santa Barbara County
incubates the next generation of winemakers
Click
here to read the full article.
Tomorrow's cult wines
Click
here to read the full article.
