Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
Tasted August 11, 2010 by tcfishler with 628 views
Flight 1 - Melville (5 notes)
Surprisingly spoofed up exterior and ambiance here.
White
2009 Melville Chardonnay Estate Clone 76 - Inox
Ultra-reductive but shows a trace of smoky lees. There's also a subtle but noticeable hint of butter despite the stainless treatment. Bright, even ziny acids throughout, with a mouthwatering feel.
White
2008 Melville Chardonnay Estate
Predictably, this is lower toned than the Inox, with the emphasis on pineapple/melon fruit and a piney nuance in addition to the relatively obvious oak that shows through with some cinnamon. Broad, even a touch fat; you can definitely feel the loss of some of that malic acid.
Red
2008 Melville Pinot Noir Estate
Light ruby. Incendiary, or perhaps obnoxious, woody/weedy cherries all over the nose. Subtler flavors thankfully, with good finishing acidity. I'd need to hold my nose to drink a glass of this.
Red
2008 Melville Syrah Estate Verna's
From much higher yields than the Chardonnays and Pinot. Medium violet. Cinnamon and red vine candy notes, followed by a warm, slightly spicy palate that lacks energy. Ho hum.
White
2009 Melville Viognier Estate Verna's
Unabashedly varietal nose of orange zest, honeysuckle, etc., as well as (clean) swimming pool and a trace of grain. Alcohol-sweet but not really warm; actually, this is pretty lively, although a little sharpness on the back end may be due to the alcohol. Flowers predominate in the aftertaste. Good example of this grape's inelegance.
Flight 2 - Palmina (5 notes)
The first of several tasting rooms we visited in Lompoc's "Wine Ghetto," a business park-like setting with a multitude of producers represented.
White
2009 Palmina Traminer Alisos Vineyard
Asparagus and green bean notes, with a palate that's thin but not too sharp, and clean throughout. However, I feel this style needs some mineral oomph to make it worthwhile.
White
2009 Palmina Malvasia Bianca Larner Vineyard
Wafting cleaning solution nose, with a slight stink. Low acid but interesting for its alternating, almost schizophrenic mineral/bubblegum flavor profile. Strange stuff, but enjoyable.
Rosé
2009 Palmina Botasea Rosato di Palmina
Light. Distinctly dominated by apricot, with a slight herbal/vegatal edge. Very mineral driven and delicate for California rose, with a finish that's dilute but acceptable given the style.
Red
2007 Palmina Alisos Vineyard
Light red. Bright and delightful nose of thoroughly ripe red cherries and just a trace of candiedness as well as slight wood. It's all good through the strikingly silken entry until a low acid midpalate and falling-off finish ruin the initial impression.
Red
2006 Palmina Nebbiolo
Light brick red. Slightly Sforzato-like aromas of dried red fruits, smoky nuance, and cinnamon. Thick with flavor but not at all heavy; all is well supported by spice, acid and tannin. Nice touch with a tricky variety, especially with purchased fruit.
Flight 3 - Taste of Santa Rita Hills (5 notes)
A nice showcase for some producers without their own tasting rooms. Pouring samples was a pleasant expat from the Marches.
White
2008 Diatom Chardonnay Huber Vineyard
Reductive nose is hiding the lees influence (this saw 6 months' time) right now. Big up front with a mineral punch following through. You need to scrape said minerals off your palate at the end.
White
2008 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills
Boisterous nose, with yeasty bread, lemon, and granny smith. Outstandingly balanced...a veritable model of restraint. I would be good and drunk before growing tired of this one.
Red
2008 Thorne Cellars Pinot Noir Rio Vista
Light ruby red. Aggressive fruit verges on that cherry cough syrup that I so hate in overripe New World, especially California, Pinots. But it doesn't quite go there, with the flavors sweet but not quite as heavy as the 14.8% suggests. Still, definitely not my style of Pinot.
Red
2008 El Rey Pinot Noir
Medium light red. Popcorn, underbrush, and pine bark make for a far more thought provoking and attractive nose. Nicely dry if not obviously concentrated, with a freshness to the fruit, a slightly bitter edge, and a meaty aftertaste.
Red
2006 Huber Cellars Dornfelder
Dark violet. Something reeks here...I hope it's just reduction but it might be the grape itself. Sweet and dull but not fleshy or heavy, this is rather ignoble overall. A curiosity at best.
Flight 4 - New Vineland/Piedrasassi (7 notes)
Sashi Moorman's tiny new negociant project (another partnership with D.C. restauranteur Peter Pastan) as well as his flaship.
White
2009 New Vineland Sauvignon Blanc
There are flowers in the grass here, with the nose really rather gently restrained. The balance leans towards the heavy side, although it's rather lightly concentrated. There is a surprising finish waiting at the end, however, of a mineral nature.
White
2008 New Vineland Viognier
High toned, somewhat lees-influenced nose of car exhaust. Despite the changeup in style from the usual California Viognier, this remains low acid, which, while perhaps an intrinsic quality to the variety, comes off as a rather strange attribute given the overall style presented here.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Rosé
2009 New Vineland Rosé
Salmon colored. Chlorine, and very dry in its transition from nose to palate. Sophisticated if not much else.
Red
2006 New Vineland Syrah
Medium dark bright red. Fruitcake, raisin and gingerbread, but some herbs break up the decadence. Then dry and precise with good grainy tannin. Showy in profile yet French in feel.
Red
2007 Piedrasassi Syrah Rim Rock
Dark plum violet. Deeply fruited but not dried or OTT in any way, with charcoal and stony nuances. Strong extraction but not overdone, this is almost imenetrably dense and in need of time to unwind.
Red
2007 Piedrasassi Syrah Mr. Smith
Very dark violet red. Grand marnier-soaked raisins herald a Paso wine in an otherwise Santa Barbara tasting. Thick and overripe but a big hit among the novices...and it's hard for me not to like it either.
Red
2005 Piedrasassi Syrah
Medium dark violet red. Fresher than the vineyard designates, and rather medium bodied and bright in flavor as well, with a finish spiced up by black pepper.