Melville Syrah Estate - 2020 (750ml)

Winemaker's Notes:

The wine’s lifted aromatics of red and blue fruits are balanced out by lightly smoked rosemary and freshly ground white pepper with a touch of black olive brine that draws you in to the first sip of fresh bright blueberries and teriyaki lamb jerky. The wine offers a slight grip on the palate, encouraging another sip. Pair with grilled lamb chops with salt, white pepper, and rosemary.

94 points Wine Enthusiast

The funky cool-climate components of seaweed, olive tapenade and turned soil meet with tar and dark berry on the nose of this bottling. Zesty acidify cuts through the palate's raw lamb, squid ink and green herb flavors, with underripe plum and berry adding fruit elements. — Matt Kettmann

93 points Jeb Dunnuck

Reminding me of a top Saint Joseph, the 2020 Syrah Sta. Rita Hills offers lots of black and blue fruits, notes of peppery herbs, medium body, juicy acidity, and a balanced, age-worthy style. Seeing 40% whole clusters and neutral wood, it will evolve for a decade. 

93 points Vinous

The 2020 Syrah (Sta. Rita Hills) is a wild, pungent wine that shows the more savory,peppery side of Syrah. Dried herbs, lavender, sage and black pepper complement a core of blue/purplish fruit. A big, ample wine, the 2020 needs a few years in the bottle or a long decant to help pull all the elements together. - Antonio Galloni (June 2022)