Exemplifying our commitment to producing pure expressions of chardonnay from our Sta. Rita Hills estate, we announce the pre-release of the tenth vintage of our Clone 76 Inox chardonnay. Also featured within this newsletter is the intoxicating and aromatically driven Verna's Estate Viognier as well the introduction of the winery's first 'Farm to Table' Dinner.

As part of our small lot collection and estate wines, these bottlings and events are offered exclusively to our mailing list customers on a first come, first serve basis. Beginning April 16, these wines will be available via our tasting room and select markets.

The inspiration for Inox is born out of a pursuit to capture the essence of both the vineyard and varietal in their most honest form. This stylistic direction mirrors Japanese sashimi, where the utmost attention is given to the raw ingredients which must be handled with neither compromise nor flaw. Even the slightest deviation from this principle exhibits the shortcomings of the fisherman or chef, or in this case, the farmer and winemaker.

Due to our location in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, we are well situated to grow classical chardonnay. Severe cold-ocean winds matched with diatomaceous soils (fossilized plankton high in calcium) create wines of nuance with excellent acidity and minerality. Because of having the coldest and longest growing season in California, our fruit develops very bright, citrusy components that also possess a rich and decadent side of these flavors. It is this dynamic confluence that makes our appellation different and is illustrated by these numbers: our average time from budbreak to harvest is 210 days; whereas a region like Oregon might be only 175. With a noticeable disparity between these two growing regions, our extended season allows for more developed fruit while also preserving that unique vibrancy that is so compelling about chardonnay.

After the frost challenged 2008 year, the vines in 2009 rebounded with new energy and vitality yielding fruit that was evenly balanced, full of flavor and consistent with our annual averages. As we have also regularly witnessed here in the Sta. Rita Hills, 2009 was a year in which there were no major weather calamaties and we were reminded of how fortunate we are to be growing fruit here.

Spanning a nineteen day period, we picked the Inox blocks at four different intervals hand-selecting only the south-hanging fruit which are also the most golden and flavorful clusters due to their direct sun exposure. Upon immediate whole-cluster pressing, the juice was transferred into four small stainless steel tanks (see photo). The wine fermented for three months at an average temperature of 45°F to capture and enhance the fruit's delicate nuances much like slowly cooking fish at 125? for eight hours. The subsequent cold storage also prohibited the onset of malo-lactic fermentation. The wine then remained on its lees without any disturbance for five months before being bottled in March. Inox, French for stainless steel, continues to prove a suitable title for this wine, whose purity and precision dictates such a designation.

Named in honor of Ron Melville's mother, Verna's vineyard (see photo) in Los Alamos is planted to seven acres of viognier on sandy and nutrient deficient soils and is a combination of Alban selection and clone 1. Slightly warmer and windier then our Sta. Rita Hills property, this estate is well-suited for growing this aromatic varietal. The fruit was gently pressed, transferred to neutral barrel and stainless steel, cold-fermented at 45°F for three months and prepared for bottling in March. Cold fermentation, neutral vessels and the avoidance of malo-lactic fermentation were employed to retain the wine's freshness and exotic expressions. Yields were a small 2.4 lbs./vine.

On behalf of everyone at Melville, we cannot thank you enough for your continued support and interest in our wines. None of this would be possible without your appreciation and endorsement of our work.

— From All of Us at Melville Family