Your family helped put Sta. Rita Hills on the map. What did the region look like when the Melvilles started?
Farming lima beans, broccoli, flowers, winter greens, and very little plated to vines. Only three wineries on vineyards that you could visit. Some land for sale, but not a lot in the 25-100 acres pieces. Obviously vineyard land was a lot more affordable then.
What does a "head winegrower" do, and why that title rather than winemaker?
Growing wine is the relationship between our land and climate and our goals for the fruit.
Organic farming is key, as its about respect to Mother Nature as its her who controls 80% of what's happening in the vineyard. The emphasis is placed on growing the best, cleanest, highest quality fruit, with Mother Nature, and then allowing the fruit to decide how it wants to be made into wine. Sure, I make decisions on many things, but the underlying premise is, capture what the fruit is saying, not dictate to the fruit what I want it to say. That is Winegrowing.
What makes Sta. Rita Hills special for Pinot Noir and Syrah?
Cold Sunshine.
Long grow season, along with a long drawn out ripening period, allows for all aspects of ripeness to take the time needed to ripen, AND hold onto the natural acidity.
How do you and your brother Brent split the work, and how do you keep family and business balanced?
Family business is a challenge and also very rewarding at the same time.
We have been doing this for 30 years so we have a level of understanding.
Brent however, suffered a major stroke 6 years ago and is no longer active in the company.
Sideways made Santa Barbara Pinot famous. Did that movie help or hurt the region?
100% helped the region and 100% helped the varietal gain prominence worldwide.
people could now pronounce it correctly, not be intimidated by it, and really enjoy the beauty the wine has to offer. It broke down barriers and introduced people to pinot noir who would have normally skipped over it. And once you land here, its very rare that you leave....
Which Melville wine should a first-timer try, and what should they expect in the glass?
Our Estate Pinot Noir, hands down, is one of the best deals on the market. The amount of effort, quality, price point, its 100% pinot noir, farmed organically, farmed and made by hand. It represents California, cold coastal California, Santa Rita Hills, and Melville Vineyard. It has an amazing balance of cold sunshine California fruit and savory at the same time. Its clean, pure, balanced and symmetrical. And for the price!
How do you think about sustainability and farming for the next generation?
Farming costs keep rising, and waist hard about that is the wine market at the moment is soft. So how do you sustain this? Electric tractors and drones and AI will help with cleaning up environment a little and make things more efficient and perhaps stabilize costs, but too early to tell.
The big picture is how to make your vineyard last 100 years. Organic farming is the answer, and the future.
Younger drinkers are moving toward lighter, fresher reds. Does that play to Pinot's strengths?
yes. always has. To be fair though, a lot of pinot is made in a deep, rich, ripe style, so take that category out, and yes, pinot is the answer, no matter what the question....
What's the most memorable vintage of your career, good or bad?
They all leave a mark, its one of the things I love about what I do. Every year has a personality.
And after 30 years of doing this, its really hard for me to pinpoint just one. I think of it like 30 years of learning and growing and how can one be better or worse? But if I do need to answer the question, 1998 comes to mind because we had so much rain during winter ( we actually lost about an acre of land) and all this news right now on this coming winter is looking to be the same, but better prepared this time.
What's your go-to food with Melville Syrah?
Lamb chops, grilled with rosemary and fresh cracked white pepper
What would you tell someone in their twenties who wants to get into farming or winegrowing?
Its very challenging and rewarding all at the same time. Its a lot of hard work, truly, sweaty, sticky, dirty, long hours etc. But the difference is, in order to truly be good at it, one needs to release control to Mother Nature. Need to learn she is in charge and once that sinks in, you become more observant and aware as she shows you everything you need to know, just need to slow down and take it in.
What's the next chapter for Melville?
Well, Im 56, and plan to be doing this for another 30 years, so not a lot of change there, besides growing and getting better every year. The next chapter has to do with the next generation coming up. I have three children that have grown up exposed to all of this and they show interest and passion for wine, farming, marketing, hospitality etc. Exciting for me to think about. But the key is they need to add value, they need to love it, and then there is an opportunity
