Pure red cherry, Asian spice, fresh cranberry. Underripe strawberry, pine cone, tart blueberry. Potpourri and blooming rose, tree root and tarragon. High-toned red fruit awash with sticks & stems saturated in pungent mixed spices. Cracked pepper and pinch of table salt atop fennel and pomegranate seeds. Layered, expansive, and balanced, this 2016 Sandy's Pinot Noir by Melville Winery is a complete wine from one of California's best producers.

Melville Winery has been making Pinot Noir from their estate vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara California since the mid 1990's. By now it seems they have completely mastered the craft. This bottling, composed of 100% Pinot Noir from a particularly sandy section of their estate, is certainly an experience to behold. Pure ethereal fruit dances over herb crusting and spice box in a pronounced and expansive bouquet. This stuff is relatively lean and no more than medium in body yet minimal digging is required to reveal endless layers of woody savory earthy pinot funk. A sprinkling of salt reminds you that this hails from Santa Rita Hills despite the marathon of heavily Burgundian flavor components. If you're into scores and rankings Melville was just rated one of the top 100 wineries in the world by Wine & Spirits, and this wine in particular was given one of the highest scores ever in the region by Wine Enthusiast. The best part of all is Melville's prices still remain reasonable despite the well justified critical acclaim. We can't recommend their stuff any more highly.