You can visit wineries in Bordeaux that are still owned by original families, but the Rothschilds of today, for example, are the descendants of the founders. Even in Napa Valley, Robert Mondavi, Warren Winiarski and their like are no longer with us. But one of the things that makes wine tasting in Santa Barbara County, the Santa Rita Hills in particular, is that the founding fathers (and mothers) are still making wine in their namesake wineries.
One such is the Melville Winery, owned and operated by Chad Melville. The winery even offers a private tour and tasting with Mr. Melville himself. You won’t get that at Château Latour!
Located in the Santa Rita Hills not too far from Buellton (although the address is in Lompoc), Melville’s tasting room is located in and beside a handsome, mission-style yellow building. A tasting at Melville has the vibe of a garden party far more than that of most wineries. Oh, they do have an indoor room that’s cozy in a rustic sort of way, but the real Melville experience is to have your tasting on their wide, capacious lawn. [Melville also has a tasting room in Santa Barbara, which is a totally different experience.] Although we were told that they occasionally receive tour groups and they say they can accommodate 150 people, it’s difficult to imagine it ever getting rowdy at this winery.
Rather, visitors either recline in Adirondack chairs or gather around widely spaced tables under white umbrellas. They sip their wine viewing the vineyard and the mountains beyond. So very civilized, especially considering the completely opposite experience in some tasting rooms, not least in nearby Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. Guests can even bring picnics.
We were a bit surprised by the wines they serve at Melville. Santa Rita Hills is rightly famed for Pinot Noir, which they do serve. But we also tasted Chardonnay, Grenache and Syrah. There’s nothing wrong with those grapes, but they weren’t what we expected. We think this may say a lot about changing climate, even in such a contained space as the Santa Rita Hills, or maybe a broader audience for the wines made there, some of whom may not be Pinot Noir fans. That said, of the wines we tasted, the Pinot Noirs were our favorites.
For a long time, it has been possible to taste quality wine in California far afield from Napa Valley and Sonoma County. It seems to use that Santa Barbara County, and the Santa Rita Hills in particular, are coming (or have come) into their own. There are wines we have tasted there, especially Pinot Noirs, that are the equal or better than any we’ve had in that state. Now, we think the winemakers in the Côte d’Or can sleep well at night, but overall we find the Pinot Noirs made in the Santa Rita Hills to be more Burgundian than we have tasted elsewhere in the US.
Melville is an exemplar of the region’s arrival. Power Tasting doesn’t review wine; our specialty is the wine tasting experience. We can say that a visit to the Melville Winery is a lovely way to while away an afternoon with some well-regarded wines.