Samsara is a Sanskrit word meaning the eternal cycle of life. The world we live in now. One of passion, oneness and harmony. This idea is key to the philosophy of Chad and Mary Melville’s Samsara wines. Chad and Mary produce limited releases of Pinot Noir and Syrah from micro-sites within carefully selected vineyards.

"Farming 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."

They truly believe that they are winegrowers, not winemakers - that is, that all of the important work 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 their fermentations, which lends a spiciness to the wines that Chad and Mary 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 resulting wine is an interpretation of the tenuous balance between the power of nature and elements beyond our control, and the human desire to reach perfection.