The floral blueberry and raspberry characteristics are also seen in the dark ruby/purple-tinged 2006 Pinot Noir Carrie’s. This wine is pure, full-bodied, and again, elegant, deep, and rich. I am not sure some of these wines couldn’t be blended together, given how small the differences are, but I respect the effort to show the difference in parcels or clonal choices. The Melville family has one of the top vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills, and the wines are made under the supervision of Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton. It is interesting that I found the Melville Pinot Noirs far less spice-dominated, with more blue and black fruits, than those of Brewer-Clifton. That struck me as unusual because the vineyards are often close to each other geographically, and of course, the winemaking philosophy is generally the same.Tel. (805) 235-7030; Fax (805) 235-5310

This is the grandest of Melville’s current trio of ’06s. It’s also the most ageworthy. Fifty percent stem inclusion in the fermentation has given the wine a tannic, gritty earthiness and spiciness that throw a cloak over the underlying wine. But what a fantastic wine that is, loaded with oodles of cherries, currants and violets. Hard to exaggerate the complexity and broad intellectual appeal of this connoisseur’s wine.——S.H.(12/1/2008)—— 95