Eric Urbani

9.5

Nine Santa Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County) PNs, 2004-2010. Loved the smokiness on this one, my #1 — a month ago

Ed Lehrman

9.3

2013 Cargasacchi PN. So delicious. fruity and spicy and aromatic. Carries its 14.4 as light as a feather. — 4 years ago

Liz Thach MW

9.0

Enjoyed this bottle tonight at Avant restaurant at Rancho Bernardo Inn and spa. A special thanks to Joe who recommended this. — 7 years ago

P S

8.9

Great sb Pinot — 8 years ago

Michael Walker

9.9

Another Pinot I’ve had several btls of and somehow not yet rated….love this and I’m not sure I’ve had a wine this old in better shape…for that I credit the twist off cap. Very sparkly on opening but mellows quickly, excellent cherry fruit, just a touch acidic on the back end. I think another Loring connected producer — a year ago

Steven K

9.3

Very nice flowery nose with sweet cherry fruit and spice. A very enjoyable bottle of wine. — 7 years ago

P Pelissero

9.4

We loved it. Drank it on NYE. — 7 years ago

Charine Tan

9.0

Backstory: Tasted this at the winery and loved it so much that we bought a bottle to take along with us to Mexico. Chad Melville is the owner and winemaker at Samsara. He's also the chief winegrower at Melville Winery.

Winemaking Process: Single vineyard wine with grapes harvested from the Cargasacchi vineyard, which is in the middle aka sweet spot of Santa Rital Hills. 75% whole cluster fermentation with native yeast. 50% in new French oak barrels for 22 months, followed by 12-month ageing in the bottle. Unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: Colour is ruby red with some clarity, no sediment. On the nose, it has blue fruit, cherry, cassis, cigar, asphalt, lambskin leather and pronounced earthy notes. On the palate, it is medium-bodied with full, mouth-filling texture. Red fruit notes appear first, and then the taste turns into an earthy, allspice notes, and finishes off with something so bright and refreshing that reminds us of orange peel. The tannins are soft. End palate is long, around 10 seconds, marked by minerality and cherry. I love this wine because unlike many Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara, it isn't over extracted and not too sweet (like fruit pastille). There's a fleeting burst of sweet red fruit flavour on the mid palate and the flavour quickly transits to earthy notes and tannins. It's a more earthy Pinot Noir but yet still elegant and ready to be consumed. At $55, I think it's well worth the price. — 8 years ago

Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

9.5

Deep ruby.
Nose is initially a bit shy. With air, in tulip glass and paired with homemade shepherd's pie; this shows juniper berry, bitter cherry pit/bark, bracing digestif herbs. In a big Burgundy stem, shows some rose hip, acerola, crushed creosote leaf, damp pine forest. This is one heck of a complex nose.
Palate is medium bodied, tannins are fine, long and surprisingly dry, not on the mid palate but one the finish with a black tea/amaro like bitterness that lingers.
I really wish I had more as this is my last bottle. — 2 years ago

Megan Bauer

9.2

One of my favorite vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills. Very ageable and delightfully interesting. — 7 years ago