This year, Melville celebrates 30 years of grape growing in the Sta. Rita Hills, and over that time this family-run estate has firmly established itself in the upper echelon of producers in the region. Entirely dedicated to estate-grown, organically farmed fruit and classical, refined winemaking, Melville crafts wines that stand among the purest expressions of place you’ll find anywhere in California. The estate sits on the northwestern edge of the AVA, just ten miles from the Pacific. Here, soils are dominated by windblown sands, underpinned in places by Monterey shale and pockets of clay loam. Mature vines—planted to a diverse array of clones—stretch across the estate’s rolling contours, divided into dozens of meticulously farmed blocks. After three decades, the Melville team knows this land intimately, and they weave those blocks together in their Estate Pinot Noir with remarkable precision and purity. With 40% whole-cluster fermentation, the wine is an aromatic delight. The nose bursts with lifted florals, ripe berry fruit, exotic spice, star anise, clove, citrus peel, pomegranate, black raspberry, and dried alpine herbs. On the palate, it is incredibly vibrant and fresh, delivering generous yet crunchy, spice-laced red fruit alongside subtle notes of earth and amaro-like bitters. This wine perfectly reflects the Sta. Rita Hills’ famed “refrigerated sunshine”—ample California ripeness balanced by the bracing freshness of an ultra-cool growing season. The result is Pinot Noir with both depth and electric energy. With our extra-sharp Insider’s Advantage pricing, this becomes an absolute must-buy. Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir simply doesn’t get better at this price—it's not even close.