Buscemi Selections: A Creative Collaboration
Introducing an exciting new project combining the talents of winegrower Chad Melville and fashion designer/lifestyle brand connoisseur Jon Buscemi. Both innovators at heart, Chad and Jon met through mutual friends in 2019 and connected immediately. After brainstorming over barrel samples and working meticulously to create art in the design, the two proudly hand-crafted their eight barrel, limited-production 2020 Buscemi Selections Pinot Noir.
A fascinating, one-of-a-kind blend customized by Chad and Jon in the cellar, this unique offering showcases a combination of bold flavors with an artistic flair. This first release of Buscemi Selections Pinot Noir, was launched as a 3-pack offering, and is now available in a single-bottle format.
Breaking from Melville’s traditional philosophy, this exclusive eight-barrel lot was selected from a cellar’s perspective rather than a site-specific focus, and is composed of only eight hand-selected barrels from prime pinot noir blocks on the Melville estate: Block M, Terraces, Anna’s and Sandy’s.
The clay soil of Block M and Terraces brings depth and structure, the loam soil of Anna’s provides mid-palate plush tannins, and the sandy soil of Sandy’s brings lifted rose petals and a fresh snappy acidity. This pinot noir was fermented 67% whole cluster and aged for 18 months in 20% new French oak (the best you can buy), again breaking from Melville’s traditional neutral oak program.
This pinot noir shows an exotic bouquet of flowers, lifted dried rose petals, black cherry, red plum and a very pleasant waft of Amaro on the nose. The palate offers an incredible balance between vibrancy and opulence, starting off with mouthwatering acidity but giving way to an incredible, silky texture of fresh whipped cream with a fig reduction and mint, then finishing with a kiss of sassafras. This wine would pair wonderfully with duck breast with a cherry compote, miso marinated cod, or a simple grilled prime ribeye steak with white pepper and rosemary.
The bottle was chosen for a classic look and feel, without approaching the glass in a fancy way. We took the liberty to be more creative through the production of the label and case pack box. The label artwork was inspired by Jon’s love of crowd photography and in particular 70’s and 80’s sporting crowds. This crowd photograph was chosen from a Preakness Race in the 80’s. The paper selection and processing take cues from classic wine labels from the turn of the century…utilizing rattan linen paper, letterpress embossing and photo sublimation. The case pack box of 3 and single box edition are both sublimated with the iconic crowd photo as well.
Chad Melville and Jon Buscemi at Melville Esatate Vineyards
“The idea of even working with a producer as talented and delicious as Melville was never on my radar. I’m very excited for the release and for everyone to taste the magic in this bottle.” – Jon Buscemi, Los Angeles, CA
“The wine world is very traditional, and I’ve been making wine in a highly traditional way for nearly three decades. Jon is far from traditional; he is a disruptor in the best way possible, and the opportunity to be part of his creative ingenuity was very attractive to me.” – Chad Melville
Jon Buscemi is a lifestyle brand connoisseur, global cultural icon, food and wine enthusiast, car enthusiast, scratch golfer, husband, and father. With an expansive professional history that includes global leadership and design roles at DC Shoes, Oliver Peoples, and co-founding the DTC footwear brand Greats, Jon’s most storied venture is co-founding global luxury fashion brand BUSCEMI. During his tenure at his eponymous brand he launched the fastest selling hot sauce brand in history, Truff.
September ’23 scores recap
September has been a busy month for the wine critics! Not only have we received scores and reviews from Jeb Dunnuck and Wine Enthusiast this month (not to mention our Top 100 Winery award from Wine & Spirits) but new scores from esteemed wine critic Antonio Galloni have just dropped. To make the September scores season easy to follow, we’ve gathered the scores from all three reviewers and put them in a recap, with links to their respective websites (some require subscriptions to access).
What do these scores mean? Glad you asked…(answer the question). As always, although we greatly regard the scores these professional reviewers provide (and they taste THOUSANDS of wine samples) we like to say that the best wine…is the one you enjoy the most!
Wine Dunnuck Wine Enthusiast Galloni
2021 Donna’s Block Syrah 98 97
2021 Anna’s Block Pinot Noir 92 97
2021 Sandy’s Block Pinot Noir 95 96
2021 Terraces Pinot Noir 94 95
2021 Anna’s Block Pinot Noir “The nose on this bottling is fresh, focused, intense and ripe. Black cherry, strawberry and dark mint aromas are seductive and attention-snagging. The palate lands with juicy flavors of strawberry and Bing cherry, as cracked white and green peppercorn spices mix with fresh herbs to hammer home the deliciously detailed experience.” — Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast
The bottle was chosen for a classic look and feel, without approaching the glass in a fancy way. We took the liberty to be more creative through the production of the label and case pack box. The label artwork was inspired by Jon’s love of crowd photography and in particular 70’s and 80’s sporting crowds. This crowd photograph was chosen from a Preakness Race in the 80’s. The paper selection and processing take cues from classic wine labels from the turn of the century…utilizing rattan linen paper, letterpress embossing and photo sublimation. The case pack box of 3 and single box edition are both sublimated with the iconic crowd photo as well.
Chad Melville and Jon Buscemi at Melville Esatate Vineyards
“The idea of even working with a producer as talented and delicious as Melville was never on my radar. I’m very excited for the release and for everyone to taste the magic in this bottle.” – Jon Buscemi, Los Angeles, CA
“The wine world is very traditional, and I’ve been making wine in a highly traditional way for nearly three decades. Jon is far from traditional; he is a disruptor in the best way possible, and the opportunity to be part of his creative ingenuity was very attractive to me.” – Chad Melville
Jon Buscemi is a lifestyle brand connoisseur, global cultural icon, food and wine enthusiast, car enthusiast, scratch golfer, husband, and father. With an expansive professional history that includes global leadership and design roles at DC Shoes, Oliver Peoples, and co-founding the DTC footwear brand Greats, Jon’s most storied venture is co-founding global luxury fashion brand BUSCEMI. During his tenure at his eponymous brand he launched the fastest selling hot sauce brand in history, Truff.
