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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.6 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 8 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by forceberry on 10/23/2021 & rated 91 points: This wine is made not with any Chardonnay clones, but solely with Chardonnay Clone 76. The "Inox" part means the wine is fermented and aged only in stainless steel, so it doesn't see any oak during the vinification. 14,5% alcohol.
Still surprisingly youthful pale yellow-green color. Clean and relatively youthful nose with bright aromas of lemony citrus fruits, some ripe grapefruit tones, a little bit of smoky reduction and a developed hint of nutty complexity. The wine feels ripe, youthful and quite lively on the palate with a medium body and clean flavors of juicy golden apples, some nectarine, light sweet notes of white peach, a little bit of leesy richness and a hint of steely minerality. The acidity feels high at first, but there's a hint of zippy, crisp character here making me think the wine has a tiniest bit of CO2, as the acidity feels somewhat lower - albeit still quite high - after a little while. The finish is fresh, clean and quite refreshing with moderately long flavors of crunchy Golden Delicious apple, some juicy citrus fruit notes of lemon and pomelo, light leesy tones, a little bit of steely minerality and an evolved, nutty hint of slivered almonds.
A lovely, bright and precise California Chardonnay made in a style more reminiscent of Chablis than classic, rich and buttery Cali Chard - although the wine is admittedly slightly more ripe than your typical Chablis. What surprised me the most here, however, how remarkably youthful the wine still is now at 11 years of age, showing just a little bit of developed nuttiness, otherwise coming across as very bright, precise and fruit-forward, lacking any oxidative or tired qualities. A very nice effort, priced according to its quality at 34,50€. (817 views) | | | Tasted by 1961Vintage on 7/26/2016 & rated 93 points: Simply killer! (737 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 5/28/2016 & rated 82 points: Consumed at Robert's grad party.
Notes of slightly oxidized red apples on the 2nd day, this wine shows off the oak first and foremost, with slightly wood-derived tannins that are a bit edgy and harsh.
The butteriness is evident, but the acidity is not aptly suited to conquer the vanilla and the massively ripened orchard and tropical fruits in the glass.
Drink now if you have any left. Pass me a glass of the Chablis, please... (873 views) | | | Tasted by 1961Vintage on 5/24/2015 & rated 90 points: Nice crisp burgundian style chard. Well balanced but for the pp, could have used bit more on the nose and finish for me. Still has a long life ahead. (917 views) | | | Tasted by HRT on 12/13/2011: Steely and sharp. Citrus fruits. This is not your mother's chardonay. (2587 views) | | | Tasted by jfont123 on 6/3/2011 & rated 92 points: This is delicious Chard... Always satisfied with this producer. At $36, this is well worth it... (2416 views) |
| By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, November/December 2011, IWC Issue #159
(Melville Vineyards and Winery Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox Sta. Rita Hills) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Exploring California's Central Coast (Aug 2011)
(Melville Chardonnay Clone 76 Inox Sta. Rita Hills) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Melville Producer web site
In 1989, Melville Vineyards, a family owned and operated enterprise was founded in Sonoma County's Knights Valley, where Ron Melville grew high quality, much sought after Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1996, Ron's desire to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay brought Melville Vineyards to Lompoc's Sta. Rita Hills, located in the western Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. The Sta. Rita Hills appellation is where Ron Melville and his sons Brent and Chad Melville decided to develop their estate vineyards and winery. Since then, they have also developed an interest in Rhone varietals, particularly Northern Rhone Syrah and Viognier. The Melville estate achieves quality through the integrity of its farming practice and its respect to the microclimate.
Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
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