Like many of you this year, I have been a bit stir-crazy staying home for the first three months of the pandemic and then at most just traveling within 30 minutes to an hour outside of my home. As things have slowly come back to some kind of order, I decided to take a trip up to the Central Coast for a bit of wine tasting and a few days at the beach.

The first stop on this trip was in Edna Valley as it was on the way up to Cambria where I planned to spend a few days. I only had time for one winery on the way up and thus decided to try Claiborne & Churchill Decision making was based merely on a Yelp review and frankly the gorgeous oak lined hill that graced the picture of the winery. With no expectations, Claiborne & Churchill ended up being a very big surprise in more ways than one.

This was one of the most quaint yet classy wineries I’ve been to in awhile. It has a very small winery feel where every server is smiling (evidenced by the eye squints with the masks on) and is just generally happy to be there. When I got there, I was greeted very warmly by the reception and then taken to a small table overlooking the small estate vineyard.

Obviously the atmosphere adds to the experience, but I was there to taste good wine after all. I am a firm believer that winegrowers and winemakers should do their best to plant grapes that suited to the soil and climate they are planted in. As such, I was delighted to see that the menu had a heavy focus on cool climate varietals. I’ll forgive you if your first thought was Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as this has been the trend with many Californian cool climate regions as of late. However, I might have been led to believe I was doing a tasting in Alsace or Southern Germany if Claiborne & Churchill’s menu had been written in French or German. Wines such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir were on display on their tasting menu. With Edna Valley being a cool climate, this definitely stacked the odds in favor of there being good wine to be had.

One item of interest when looking at the wines was the use of natural fermentations which has been recently gaining more traction and acceptance with the natural wine movement. These wines when done properly tend to have long finishes and increased complexity which was clearly evident in tasting Churchill & Claiborne wines.

The very first wine tasted that day was a dry Riesling from the estate. Pronounced aromas of peach and citrus fruit. The same can be said on the palate with notes of lemon, peaches. Medium + acid.

This was followed by a Pinot Blanc that was produced like a Chardonnay. Some partial malolactic fermentation and oak aging was evident but very balanced. Very creamy with light pear and golden apple on the palate. I was struck by how drinkable this was, even pleasing my father who is a self-proclaimed red wine only drinker.

Next a 2019 Dry Gewurztraminer that I honestly could have kept nosing all afternoon without drinking a drop. My favorite thing about aromatic wines made in a dry style is the deception that plays out in the brain with expectations of sweetness only to be met by dryness. This wine had textbook varietal aromas of lychee, roses, and spice that were pronounced and on point. On the palate, dry with high acidity and medium + flavors of lychee, honeysuckle, and tropical fruits such as pineapple.

The last two wines I tasted were reds both of which showed how at home these varietals were in Edna Valley. First a 2018 Pinot Noir with notes of cranberry and a gentle finish. The stunner however was the 2018 Spanish Springs Syrah. Climate was on display for certain. Lovely notes of blueberry and a peppery finish that reminded me of some Syrah from the Northern Rhone.

I must mention that all wines I tasted had tremendous balance and lengthy finishes. To be honest I didn’t have a single bad wine. As such I found myself walking out of the winery with at least a half case of wine.

If you find yourself driving up the 101 on the way to Paso Robles, take a 10 minute detour and give this winery a try. I was certainly impressed.