This is a full-bodied Merlot expressing black cherry, cocoa bean, and rum-soaked raisin aromas.  There are notes of black plum, nutmeg, and vanilla cream on the mid-palate.  The tannins are smooth and earthy, and the wine is complete and balanced with a long finish that warms you in a soft wake of English bitters.  

Melville was named "Winery of the Year" by Wine & Spirits magazine in 2004, writing that "When one mentions the imprint and character of the Santa Rita Hills AVA, it's Melville that comes to mind.  Perhaps it's the lean, taut cool weather quality we find in Chardonnays, Syrahs, and Pinots of the area, a quality that is sonorously echoed in Melville's wines.  Whatever the reason, the AVA and the winery seem practically synonymous."