Claiborne & Churchill was founded in 1983 by Claiborne (Clay) Thompson and Fredericka Churchill. The winery is housed in a "straw bale building," which is the first structure of its kind in California. The building is not only a unique example of eco-friendly architecture, but the thick straw walls provide an exemplary insulation system, eliminating the need for mechanical cooling or heating in the wine cellar.
The clever couple known as Claiborne & Churchill have many years of erudition to their name. Claiborne Thompson, born in Little Rock, AR, began his academic career on a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany. At the University of Michigan he taught Old Norse Languages and Literatures and was Chairman of the Scandinavian Studies department. Fredericka was a German professor when they began their courtship which eventually led them to California.
Having grown somewhat dismayed with academia, Clay got a cellar job at a local winery and began learning the craft of winemaking.With its first crush in 1983 Claiborne & Churchill announced its special focus, producing 565 cases of Dry Gewurztraminer and Dry Riesling, modeled on the fruity but dry dinner wines of the French province of Alsace. Claiborne & Churchill now produces about 5000 cases of wine a year, purchasing grapes from vineyards in the cool maritime valleys of California's Central Coast.
At Claiborne & Churchill traditional European winemaking techniques prevail, including extensive use of barrel-fermentation and barrel-aging (even with Riesling and Gewurztraminer), minimal manipulation of juice and wine, "natural" or spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeast, and limited use of SO2, all in the belief that the winemaker's task is to bring out the flavor and character that is latent in the grape. The aim is to create pleasurable dinner wines in which there is a harmonious balance of fruit and oak, structure and texture. Visit Claiborne and Churchill on the web.
Claiborne & Churchill was founded in 1983 by Claiborne (Clay) Thompson and Fredericka Churchill. The winery is housed in a "straw bale building," which is the first structure of its kind in California. The building is not only a unique example of eco-friendly architecture, but the thick straw walls provide an exemplary insulation system, eliminating the need for mechanical cooling or heating in the wine cellar.
The clever couple known as Claiborne & Churchill have many years of erudition to their name. Claiborne Thompson, born in Little Rock, AR, began his academic career on a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany. At the University of Michigan he taught Old Norse Languages and Literatures and was Chairman of the Scandinavian Studies department. Fredericka was a German professor when they began their courtship which eventually led them to California. 
Having grown somewhat dismayed with academia, Clay got a cellar job at a local winery and began learning the craft of winemaking.With its first crush in 1983 Claiborne & Churchill announced its special focus, producing 565 cases of Dry Gewurztraminer and Dry Riesling, modeled on the fruity but dry dinner wines of the French province of Alsace. Claiborne & Churchill now produces about 5000 cases of wine a year, purchasing grapes from vineyards in the cool maritime valleys of California's Central Coast.
At Claiborne & Churchill traditional European winemaking techniques prevail, including extensive use of barrel-fermentation and barrel-aging (even with Riesling and Gewurztraminer), minimal manipulation of juice and wine, "natural" or spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeast, and limited use of SO2, all in the belief that the winemaker's task is to bring out the flavor and character that is latent in the grape. The aim is to create pleasurable dinner wines in which there is a harmonious balance of fruit and oak, structure and texture. Visit Claiborne and Churchill on the web.