2009 Melville Pinot Noir Estate Verna's

The 2009 Pinot Noir Verna’s is an attractive, entry-level Pinot graced with plums, dark cherries, flowers and spices. The warm, radiant personality makes the Verna’s an excellent choice for drinking over the next few years. The Verna’s is the only Melville Pinot made in Los Alamos. Consequently it shows slightly firmer tannins and less overall finesse than the rest of the wines, all of which come from the Melville property itself. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. Melville is one of the better known properties in Santa Barbara. The estate makes a wide range of wines under the direction of oenologist Greg Brewer, and also sells fruit to a number of other producers. The 2009 Pinot Noirs in particular are standouts. Brewer vinified the Pinots with one-third whole clusters. The 2010 Chardonnays had only recently been bottled and needed quite a bit of air to blow off some of their reductive qualities. Tel. (805) 735-7030; www.melvillewinery.com