Central Coast winery visits – Caparone, Claiborne & Churchill, Wolff, Autry

I’ve posted tasting notes below from early March visits to four Central Coast wineries - one in Paso Robles and three in Edna Valley:

Caparone Winery
Claiborne & Churchill Vintners
Wolff Vineyards
Autry Cellars

A full report on the visits - with additional photos - is on the Grape-Nutz.com website:
Central Coast - March 2012

Caparone Winery - current releases:
Caparone 2008 Sangiovese, Estate, Paso Robles. Medium reddish-purple color, aromas of ripe red fruits, earth, dried herbs, and a touch of vanilla. Medium-light mouthfeel, with good acidity, fairly mild tannins, and moderate finish.
Caparone 2004 Zinfandel, Estate, Paso Robles. Medium purple color, showing tart berries and a brushy note on the nose. A lighter style, with more spice showing in the flavors, and surprisingly fresh acidity for a 2004. The tart fruit carries through on the finish.
Caparone 2008 Aglianico, Estate, Paso Robles. Medium color, with loads of baking spice, earth, ripe dark berry fruit, and a hint of oak. More structured on the palate, the acidity and tannins reinforce each other, leading to a slightly harsh finish that will need some time in bottle to smooth out.
Caparone 2004 Merlot, Santa Maria Valley. Sourced from Bien Nacido Vineyard. Medium color, this displayed tart black cherry, herbs, and a slightly smoky note. Medium-bodied with bright acidity in the mouth, and finishing with chewy tannins.
Caparone 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, French Camp Vineyard, Paso Robles. Medium-dark color, with earthy black cherry, plum, and darker fruit aromas. A bit bigger mouthfeel than the Merlot, with lively acidity and firm tannins on the finish.
Caparone 2007 Nebbiolo, Estate, Paso Robles. Light ruby red color, showing bing cherry, spice, earth, tea leaf, and a touch of characteristic tar on the nose. Medium-light weight on the palate with plenty of acidity and a big, grippy tannic finish. An interesting wine that clearly needs years of bottle age.

Claiborne & Churchill Vintners - current releases
Claiborne & Churchill 2009 Dry Riesling, Central Coast. Very light yellow color, showing lightly floral aromas along with notes of petrol and orangepeel. Medium-light mouthfeel with vibrant acidity and a zippy finish, very nice.
Claiborne & Churchill 2010 Dry Gewürztraminer, Central Coast. Sourced mainly from Ventana Vineyard in Arroyo Seco. Very light straw color, this featured ripe pear, lychee, and a touch of spice. A bit more weight on the palate than the Riesling, this had a lively and clean finish, nice.
Claiborne & Churchill 2010 Pinot Blanc, Central Coast. Light straw color, with pear, flowers, and vanilla on the nose. Bigger body with more oak showing than the first two whites, this had a richer and smoother finish.
Claiborne & Churchill 2009 Pinot Noir, Edna Valley. Sourced from Wolff and Twin Creeks vineyards. Medium ruby color, very aromatic with ripe cherry and vanilla/oak notes plus some baking spice. Displaying sweet fruit in the mouth, this had a moderately rich texture and finished with mild tannins.
Claiborne & Churchill 2010 “Clueless Red,” Central Coast. Blend of Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Pinot Noir. Medium purple color, quite fruit-forward with dark berries along with touches of earth and dried herbs on the nose. Bigger-bodied with medium tannins, this was a pleasant but fairly simple red blend.
Claiborne & Churchill 2010 Syrah, Central Coast. Medium-dark purple, with blueberry, black pepper, and savory aromas. Medium-full bodied, this had a lively mouthfeel and moderate tannins on the finish.
Claiborne & Churchill 2009 “Port Obispo,” San Luis Obispo County. Made from 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Petite Sirah, 8% residual sugar and 18% alcohol. Dark color, showing dark berry fruit along with lots of vanilla and milk chocolate aromas. Fairly rich mouthfeel, this could have used a bit more acidity to balance the sugar but it had a long, tasty finish.

Wolff Vineyards - current releases
Wolff 2010 Dry Riesling, Central Coast. Light straw color, somewhat shy aromas of tropical fruit, petrol, and flowers. A touch of sweetness in the mouth, with medium-light body and fairly smooth finish.
Wolff 2009 Chardonnay, Estate, Edna Valley. Medium-light yellow color, displaying nectarine and tropical fruit, vanilla, spice, and butter on the nose. Medium-rich on the palate, with vanilla/oak lingering on the finish.
Wolff 2009 “Dijon Clones” Pinot Noir, Estate, Edna Valley. Medium ruby color, with bright cherry fruit along with herbs and touches of earth and sweet oak. This was medium-light bodied with very lively acidity, finishing with moderate tannins.
Wolff 2008 “Brixie’s Red,” Central Coast. 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Franc. Medium color, with herbal plum and darker fruit, a touch of green olive, and smoky oak. Medium-bodied, with a big, chewy tannic finish.
Wolff 2010 Syrah, Estate, Edna Valley. Medium-dark color, this showed expressive aromatics of slightly tart dark berry fruits, white pepper, herbs, and a touch of vanilla/oak. Medium weight on the palate, with vibrant acidity and moderate tannins on the lively finish, nice.
Wolff 2009 Petite Sirah, Estate, Edna Valley. Dark color, this seemed a bit reductive with funky, earthy notes in the forefront along with black fruits and loads of black pepper. Big but bright mouthfeel, the tannins were firm but surprisingly not harsh at all.

Autry Cellars - current releases
Autry 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Paso Robles. Medium-light yellow color, aromas of vanilla/oak, red apple, and herbs. Medium-bodied and smooth on the palate, the vanilla/oak component came to the fore again on the finish.
Autry 2008 Chardonnay, Edna Valley. Medium-light yellow, showing lots of vanilla and butter on the nose, along with ripe tropical fruit notes. Fairly rich in body, this had a smooth texture and finish.
Autry 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles. Medium purple color, this displayed ripe plum and darker fruit, some herb/tobacco notes, plus vanilla/oak. Medium-full bodied, with grippy tannins that sneaked up on the finish.
Autry 2007 Syrah, Edna Valley. Medium-dark color, with ripe blueberry and blackberry fruit along with vanilla and spice. Big and fairly rich in the mouth, this had a moderately tannic finish.

Thanks for doing due diligence on this report, Ken.
Sounds like not a whole lot has changed at Caparone…anda notta gonna change. The wines were
all pretty rustic when I gave up trying them 20 yrs ago.
OTOH, the C&C (dry) Riesling & GWT’s & Edelzwicker are some of the best of that style in Calif…better
than the Navarro’s IMHO. And they’re actually dry.

Tom

Thanks, Tom. I saw that I forgot to make clear that it was “Dry” Gewürztraminer that I tasted at Claiborne & Churchill so I edited the notes to clarify that (though I don’t think they make any style of that except their dry bottling). I agree that their dry white Alsatian-style wines are really good, and the best of their line-up.

And “rustic” is a good word to describe the Caparone wines. They’re not bad, not all that exciting, but in the style that they’re made, I can certainly see where they will have their fans. The small, thick wineglasses they use for tasting are really just one step up from the old Pesenti shotglasses - Caparone is probably the last of the true old-time Paso Robles wineries in many respects. I did have a lot of fun talking with Dave Caparone there.

Great report Ken!

I think your description of Caparone is right on point and I found the wines, especially the aglianico and nebbiolo, unique examples of those Italian varieties and unlike any other I’ve come across in CA to date.

And, “rustic”, is a good descriptor, in the most positive sense. I’d love to taste one of the Caparones with 10-15 years of age; the wines currently available are still very, very young even with the extended aging and cellaring.

Brett

I have been to Caparone once and would like to go back.
It is a really down to earth nuts and bolts operation with the tasting room consisting a long table in a large metal barn along with their production.
We were served by one of the owner’s wife.
All of their wines are unfiltered and cost $14 no matter which bottle you buy, a great bargain.
We bought the Sangiovese and Aglianico and have not opened one yet, waiting for the right time.
From what I remember the wines are rustic and more Italian in style.
I always enjoy buying and drinking wines from wineries I have visited, I feel more of a connection with the people who made the wines and vines that they grew on.
Buying wine at a store or on the web just is not the same to me.

Old??? You call that map old. Pull up a chair, Ken, & I’ll tell you about old!!!
YorkMtnWnry: This is the oldest original winery bldg in Calif. Built in 1882 to the exacting seismic standards that were in place then. It lie fallow during prohibition and was revived by MaxGoldman, who was one of the founders of the ASE (American Society of Enologists). It was taken over by his son, SteveGoldman, and operated by him for a number of yrs. A winery w/ a lot of atmosphere. When Steve exited the wine biz (don’t know where he is now), it was purchased by Martin&Wyrich. After they went under, it was eventually purchased by the Epoch people. Surprised it’s still operating because of seismic issues.
EstrellaRiver: This was after GaryEberle parted company w/ Vic. The bell tower was still standing. When I visited in '78, Gary took me up to the top. Spectacular view from up there.
Pesenti: If you peer really closely, you can see those Reidel shot glasses sitting on the wine bar there.
Tom

I visited Epoch last spring, and found out that owners Bill and Liz Armstrong are repairing and restoring the old York Mountain winery building - not surprisingly it was badly damaged in the December 2003 earthquake and I don’t believe it has been in use at all since then (maybe even for awhile before that?). The Epoch wines are currently being made at the Denner facility, but there’s a small tasting room at the York Mountain property, nearby the old winery building. Until the York Mountain label officially was shut down in 2008 as part of Martin & Weyrich’s financial issues, it was said to be the oldest continually-operating winery in California.

And here are those “old” Paso winery maps, Tom. They’re old by my standards anyway!
The top one is a 1985 map that was on the wall at Caparone Winery. The lower one is one I’d kept around - it’s undated but I’m guessing it dates from around 1993-95. The purple squares on this map indicate tasting rooms with regular hours and the gold squares are ones that were open only by appointment.

This map looks like the area when Dana and I began going to Paso to begin our wine tasting adventures. You could do the east side on Saturday, and the west side on Sunday. Wow, Peachy Canyoun Winery on Peachy Canyon Road. That was a while ago. I have a 1979 HMR Cabernet, Hoffman Estate in the cellar from a visit, as well as a 1994 York Mountain Zinfandel. The York Mtn. bottle will probably be given to Epoch upon completion of their rebuild of the original winey is complete. A tasting back in thw 90’s at York Mtn. was like a trip back in time. Hidden Mountain Ranch was one of the pioneers of the Paso area, and Stanley Hoffman was an integral part of the history of the area. Need to find a deserving home for that bottle as well.
Ken and Tom, thanks for the look back to early Paso. The are has sure come a long way.

Come to Paso and don’t even let me know you are here. I’m so disappointed.

Sorry, Linda - should have let you know. But I blew through town really quickly this time on my way to SLO / Shell Beach…and headed up through Morro Bay and Big Sur on my way home. Should have more time in the area next time I’m down your way for HdR though - let’s be sure to get together then!

No worries.

Sure was. I made an appointment to visit there up on the hilltop and tasted some wines with Doug Beckett. I still have a small poster of the “Far Out Wineries of Paso Robles” that he signed for me (Justin, Adelaida, and Norman were the only other wineries on there). Must have been even before Leenda’s time there

Yeah. Even before the “butt” posters.

I have one of those too!

There are three! You are behind!

“The people who brought you the Butt posters, try to make it up to you. Presenting, Sofa King Bueno.”

I was in the Caparone wine club about 3 years ago. I really liked the Italian varities, and disliked the Zin, and especially the Merlot and Cab. “Rustic” is a nice way to put it. Unfortuately I see that they are still selling through the exact same vintages of those three wines that I didn’t like. They either must have made tanker loads of those, or few others like them either.