Elemental Cellars Melon 06

yes, it is still available!
(July 11, 2009)

Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2009 says:

"you can imagine the marketing problems with a wine called Melon (though it’s pronounced meh-lohn). A couple of years ago, we had a good one from a winery called Elemental Cellars in Oregon. At that time, the winemaker, Steven Westby, told us, "We call it our ‘Lucy and Ricky wine’ because there’s so much ’splaining to do" with the name. As it happens, Mr. Westby stopped making the wine after 2006. How come? It was difficult to sell.

"To be brutally honest, that was the hardest part," Mr. Westby told us. "It was a really hard sell. My real job is winemaker and vineyard manager at Witness Tree. Elemental Cellars is a side project with my wife. Basically, with my job there were more and more responsibilities, we’ve got three kids and something had to give. The Melon—my Lucy and Ricky wine—I let it go."

Four other wineries make wine from the Melon vineyard Mr. Westby used. As always, whenever you see an unusual varietal in the store, grab it because it likely reflects the winemaker’s personality and passion in a very special way." - Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher

Beautiful fresh pineapple with lime zest. Finishes clean with good minerality. The Elemental Melon is an insider Northwest gem that delivers great value and is the ideal match for seafood.

The Melon de Bourgogne grape, also known as Muscadet, is very uncommon in American vineyards but widely planted in France.