Melville Syrah Santa Rita Hills Verna's Vineyard 2008

esbrown reviewed Melville Syrah Santa Rita Hills Verna's Vineyard 2008
Further proof that Syrah is the most underrated grape in California today, the Melville is a fruit-forward, dark, complex and spicy wine that is not without a vein of nervy acidity running through the middle. Plum, date, blueberry and blackberry fruit run dancing through the middle, while the front end is all floral and the back end all white pepper. I find wine lovers scratching their heads at this grape for this very reason- they expect jammy riches and a fat feel, but cool-climate Syrah can offer all of the juicy fruit and depth of broader wines, but it need not feel like a ton of bricks on the palate. I dare CA Pinot to say the same. May 5, 2010