Samsara, a serious producer of small-lot wines made by winegrower Chad Melville, has opened a tasting room in the township of Los Olivos, located in Santa Barbara Wine Country.

Assuming a portion of what used to be a small private residence, the Samsara tasting room will feature a portfolio of pinot noir, syrah, and grenache from micro-sites within carefully selected vineyards. Their neighbors at this new location include the Tensley, Stolpman and Dragonette tasting rooms, as well as the popular Corner House Coffee Shop, Wendy Foster boutique store and Stafford’s Chocolates.

Samsara is a Sanskrit word meaning the eternal cycle of life. “Farming,” Melville says, “is a metaphor for many of life’s most important lessons. Though it is our propensity as humans to do so, farming teaches us that there are elements occurring in nature that are far beyond our control. After I apply my knowledge and passion to the vineyard, I must then surrender my efforts to a causality about which I have little say. Within this struggle, the lesson of humility is learned.”

Melville adds, “All of the important work for our wines is done in the vineyard and there is little handling or manipulation once the fruit reaches the winery. That includes the use of whole clusters in our fermentations, which lends a spiciness to the wines that I particularly like. Stems help to absorb the overt fruitiness of wines. To us, too many California wines are simply about fruit and lack the complexity that we hope to impart to our wines.”

The Samsara tasting room will be opened Thursday through Monday, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are open by appointment. To learn more, please visit www.samsarawine.com.

Login

Please note this login is to submit events or press releases. Use this page here to login for your Independent subscription

Not a member? Sign up here.