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Claiborne & Churchill Harvest 2014 Update

Thursday, September 11th

It’s early September and harvest is in full swing here in the Edna Valley. Because of the warm and dry winter and the early onset of bud break, we’ve been ahead of schedule all season! In fact, a small lot of Pinot Noir was the first to be harvested, making it the first vintage in twelve years we’ve processed red grapes before any of our white varietals. With that said, we still have about 85% of our Pinot Noir to bring in from the Twin Creeks vineyards this Friday! This will account for a good majority of our wine. (No doubt it comes as a surprise to many that Pinot Noir is our largest production wine with five different bottlings awaiting release for 2015.)

This 2014 harvest also marks the sixth official vintage of our “Claiborne Vineyard” Estate Riesling. At 4:30 am yesterday the crew started picking our 2 acre vineyard, which yielded a total of 5.8 tons. Though this wine might not be released until 2016, our 2012 Estate Riesling will be available later this month. We were privileged to have our friends in Fialta (@fialtamusic) use our Estate Riesling vineyard as a backdrop for footage in their new music video.  They were here at 5 am as the action was happening and crews were busy picking. Stay tuned for yet another great song and music video by one of our favorite local bands!

We now have 90% of our Riesling in and it’s only the second week of September! This is in contrast to last year, where we did not start picking until early October – just another reminder of this year’s early harvest. Heck, we might even wrap up harvest by the end of the month!

As we continue with our traditional winemaking practices, our winemaker Coby has also decided to implement whole cluster fermentation on small lots of our Pinot Noir and Syrah the last couple years. Happy with the results, he’s decided to whole-cluster ferment a larger percentage of this year’s fruit. The goal with whole cluster fermentation is enhanced aromatic expression, greater complexity and silkier smooth tannins. We look forward to the progression of these wines over the coming year.

Harvest 2014 Q&A with Claiborne & Churchill Winemaker Coby Parker-Garcia

Saturday, August 30th

What number harvest is this for you?
“This will be my 12^th professional harvest, not including the two “learn by doing” harvests at Cal Poly.”

What music do you like to jam to during harvest?
It really depends on where we’re at during the season. If I’m out sampling grapes, something mellow. But if I’m doing punch downs or hard cellar work I like to listen to reggae or classic rock. And if I’m driving to go check out vineyards I enjoy listening to sports talk radio.

With such a warm dry winter and early bud break, how has it affected this year’s harvest?
This is definitely one of the earliest harvests in California history and Edna Valley history. It’s the first time we have ever picked Pinot Noir in August. Grapes are tasting very good at lower sugar levels, yields are average, high quality, no rot, and very good uniformity in the vineyard.

I would say the good thing about having such an early harvest is that you get it done sooner and life on the central coast during fall is some of the best weather. So we should be done harvesting all of our grapes by the end of September, which means that we will get to enjoy a little bit of October.

Are there any new wines in the works for the 2014 vintage?
We’re going to keep most of our portfolio the same with the addition of another Malbec. We are making a 2014 Malbec from Santa Margarita Ranch.

Which wine growing region has had the most influence on you?
I would say it’s a split between Burgundy and Alsace. These two regions are two of my favorite regions in the world, not only for how beautiful they are but the style of wines and the class of wines they produce.

What is your favorite beer to drink during harvest?
Anything that is cold and wet. Typically I like IPA’s however they can be a little big and a little bitter, so I would say Pacifico is probably one of my favorite beers to drink after a long day of work, it really quenches my thirst!

Veiw a list of Commnon Harvest Terms here.

2014 Summer Release Tasting Notes Video:
2013 Edelzwicker, 2013 Pinot Gris,
2012 Twin Creeks Pinot Noir

Wednesday, July 23rd

Tasting Notes:

2013 Edelzwicker: We’ve been making an Edelzwicker every year since day one back in 1983. It has long been a favorite quaffing wine, something you can serve on all sorts of occasions, to all sorts of wine drinkers, from novices to oenophiles. Continue reading here.

2013 Pinot Gris: Pinot Gris has been a big part of our repertory since the late ‘90s. It’s much more serious than your typical Italian-style Pinot Grigio, as it delivers good acid, pear and white peach aromas, and a rich mouthfeel. We barrel ferment it in 100% neutral French oak. Pinot Gris serves as a great accompaniment to Lasagna Alfredo, Cioppino or enjoyed on its own. Continue reading here.

2012 Twin Creeks Pinot Noir: Since last summer, when we sold out of the ’11 Twin Creeks, many of you have asked when the new vintage would be released. Lo and behold, it’s back! Here at Claiborne & Churchill, we produce three different Pinot Noir bottlings, each with its own unique profile. Continue reading here.

San Luis Obispo Wine Country: Veraison of Pinot Noir

Thursday, July 17th

It’s mid July, and as we look onto our estate vineyards, we see our Pinot Noir clusters turning from a youthful shade of green to its classic purplish hue.  What does this mean in the world of viticulture?  Well, it’s a clear indication that veraison has started.  This French term means the “onset of ripening” in the vineyard.  From here on out, the sugars in the grapes (in the form of glucose and fructose) will start to accumulate, the berries will soften, and the anthocynins (which gives the grapes its red color) will continue developing within the skins.

What’s interesting is just how early verasion has occurred.  This stage of a vineyard’s annual growth cycle typically begins in the later part of July/early August.  Ever since our warm, dry winter the vineyards in the Edna Valley have been ahead of schedule all year.  So it wasn’t much of a surprise when we started noticing signs of versaison around 4^th of July.

Though our young Estate Pinot Noir vineyard is looking healthy, we must continue working in the vineyard to ensure a bountiful harvest.  Our newly appointed Assistant Winemaker, Zack Geers, has been leaf pulling this week to give better ventilation and fruit exposure to each vine.  He has also dropped any excess clusters that might be bunched too closely together.   This is an important process, allowing for vines/fruit to acquire the right amount of nutrients and also reducing the risk of bunch rot.

2014 Spring Release Tasting Notes Video:
2013 Dry Riesling, 2012 Dry Muscat,
2013 Dry Rose, and 2011 Pinot Noir

Wednesday, May 7th

2013 Dry Riesling: Just as our supply of the 2012 Dry Riesling runs out, here to the rescue comes the new vintage! Once again it is a harmonious blend of fruit from a vineyard in neighboring Monterey County and a vineyard just down the road from us in our own Edna Valley. Continue reading here.

2012 Dry Muscat: Now here is a wine that’s still flying under the radar. And yet, what a beauty it is! When we tasted it at the winery prior to this wine club release, we were blown away, declaring it a real sleeper, the winning wine of the 2012 vintage. Continue reading here.

2013 Dry Rosé “Cuvée Elizabeth”: Well, it is surely Spring if it’s time for “Cuvee Liz!” This one-time cult favorite of ours has become a regular part of our repertory. And with the rising popularity… Continue reading here.

2011 “Classic” Pinot Noir: Gold – 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
The 2011 “Classic” is a blend of several Pinot Noir clones from a number of vineyards in the Edna Valley. It is an excellent representative of this cool microclimate, which is ideal for the growing of Pinot Noir. Continue reading here.

Staff Wine Tasting Excursion: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Dry Rose

Wednesday, April 30th

On April 28, the Claiborne & Churchill gang ventured down to our Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley neighbors for some team building, wine tasting, sightseeing.  We sampled some of the region’s finest Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Dry Rose. Thank you to Hilliard Bruce, Melville, Foley, Presqu’ile and Breakaway Tours for making our day such a success!

2013 “Cuvée Elizabeth” Dry Rosé of Pinot Noir

Tuesday, April 1st

Bottling of our 2013 Dry Rosé of Pinot Noir. Available in our tasting room April 23, 2014!