This is a predominantly Powerful & Extracted wine, but it shares structural nuances of Round & Fleshy as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
A complex Syrah with dark blackberry fruit, flavors and aromas of smoke and mineral followed by more subdued notes of violet, chocolate, and black olive.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
14.1%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Delicious, yet seriously complex Syrah, with fantastic varietal character.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Syrah
100%See-RA
Syrah is widely planted throughout the world, but that was not so until the late twentieth century when Syrah was principally grown in the Rhone Valley and, as Shiraz, in Australia. Stylistically, the Palate Character of Syrah can vary depending on ripeness from a rich Round & Fleshy, Tone & Backbone, to a Powerful & Extracted. The flavors and aromas can also vary with a dark, sometimes sweet, fruit character, varying amount of spice, floral, and earth, and smoke, and meaty aromas and flavors.
Melville is a family-run winery that moved from Sonoma to the Santa Ynez valley in 1996 with the goal of making cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay, and syrah. They were an early believer in the area’s promise, seeing the opportunity in this special terroir.
The estate consists of 120 acres of vineyards in the western Santa Rita Hills, ten miles from the ocean. The vineyards benefit from morning and afternoon fog, afternoon breezes, and cool evenings that prolong the growing season and intensity of flavor in the grapes.
The low-yielding and high-density vines are vinified in small lots to retain their site-specific character before blending. The wines display great fruit intensity and structure, achieving balance with wonderful energy and persistence.
Bramble
Mineral
Black Pepper
