2012 Foxen Pinot Noir Melville Vineyard

The most feral and wild in the lineup (which is common from this vineyard), the 2012 Pinot Noir Melville Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills boasts fantastic notes of plum, cherry pit, crushed flowers, leather and tinges of pepper to go with a medium-bodied, seamless and elegant style on the palate. Seeing one-third whole cluster inclusion during fermentation and 16 months in 40% new French oak, it needs another year to settle in, and will have upward of a decade of longevity. I was blown away by these new Pinot Noir releases from Foxen, and they’re up near the top of the vintage. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same with regards to the Rhone blends, and these had superficial, mid-weight profiles geared for near-term drinking. As to the Bordeaux blends, these come from the eastern most AVA in Santa Barbara County and are labeled under the Foxen 7200 label. Tel. (805) 937-4251; www.foxenvineyard.com