Fredericka Churchill-Thompson and Claiborne ‘Clay’ Thompson are the owners of Claiborne and Churchill.
In a valley best known for chardonnay and pinot noir, Claiborne & Churchill is something of an oddity. Sure, Clay Thompson produces both of those wines, but his Edna Valley winery is best known for its aromatic whites, especially riesling and gewürztraminer.
There are several reasons for this, Thompson says. When he and his wife, Fredericka Churchill, former teachers, founded their winery in 1983, they made their wine at Edna Valley Vineyards — one of only three wineries in the valley then—and they wanted to differentiate themselves from their host winery, which was best known for chardonnay. Riesling and gewürztraminer grapes were available in the valley, and “we were always very fond of Alsace,” the French region known for both grape varieties, Thompson says.
A place on the map
He thought that if he made both wines in a dry but fruity style, “the world would beat a path to our doorstep.” The reality was quite different, Thompson says, and both wines, though popular now, turned out to be a hard sell back then. Still, they plugged away, and this year Claiborne & Churchill celebrates its 25th anniversary.
The winery has always bought all its fruit. “We started with no money,” Thompson says, so they couldn’t afford to buy a lot of land for growing grapes. When Paragon Vineyard grafted over its riesling and gewürztraminer to chardonnay in 1988, Thompson started buying fruit from Santa Barbara and Monterey counties. Today, most of the grapes for the riesling and gewürztraminer come from Ventana Vineyard in Monterey. The couple has also planted a couple of acres of riesling and will get their first small harvest this fall.
Thompson says they started making pinot noir in the late 1980s, selling most of it from the winery. “Some of it was pretty green,” he says. Better grapes became available in the 1990s, when planting of pinot noir took off in Edna Valley. About seven years ago, he says, he started making pinot “with a little more stuffing and a little more fruit.” It’s turned out to be so popular that it accounts for nearly a third of Claiborne & Churchill’s 10,000-case annual production.
The wines
Still, gewürztraminer and riesling remain the signature wines. The 2006 Dry Gewurztraminer ($18) is zippy and bright, with spicy lychee and rose petal aromas and flavors—an excellent example of what gewürztraminer should be. The 2006 Dry Riesling ($18) is actually barely off-dry, with bright flavors of spiced apple and lime and a soft finish.
The winery’s Edna Valley pinot noir is a fine value. The 2006 ($24) offers pretty cherry and crushed strawberry flavors, a hint of rhubarb and a supple texture. The 2005 Twin Creeks Pinot Noir ($32), a reserve-level wine, is more of an earthy/spicy style of pinot noir, rather than a fruit-driven one.
There’s also a tasty cool-climate style of syrah. The 2006 Edna Valley Syrah ($22) is peppery and bright, with blackberry fruit, medium weight and firm but approachable tannins. The grapes are from Wolff Vineyards on Orcutt Road.
Finally, if you’re looking for a little dessert, try the 2006 Port Obispo ($14.50/375ml), a fortified wine made from cabernet and petite sirah. It’s rich and ripe, with dried fig and a hint of chocolate. The finish is sweet and smooth, with none of the heat often found in port-style wines.
The winery will be celebrating its 25th with the release of some special anniversary wines later this year.
“It’s been a good run,” Thompson says. “Now people look at me like I’m the dean of Edna Valley.”
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