Description
This wine is a collection of 16 Pinot Noir clones from across Melville’s Sta. Rita Hills estate and is a perfect expression of what the region can produce at its best. Forty percent of the fruit was fermented as whole clusters, with the remaining 60% gently destemmed and fermented in small (1.5-ton) open-top fermenters. Total skin and stem contact averaged 30 days, including a seven-day cold soak, just over two weeks of fermentation, and more than one week of extended maceration.
After pressing, the wine was transferred directly into neutral French oak barrels (over 10 years old), where it remained sur lie without sulphur until June. It was then gently racked for the first time and prepared for bottling in August.
Light garnet in colour, the wine opens with vivid aromatics of rhubarb, tangerine zest, fresh cranberry, and juniper, while intriguing notes of eucalyptus, chanterelle mushroom, plum skin, and green tea linger in the background. Focused and precise, it features velvety tannins that frame a plush core and carry through to a long, cohesive finish.
