Club Newsletter

Tasting Room Update

As the sun sets earlier with each passing day, our team prepares to bid farewell to summer and welcome the beginning of Autumn in all its glory. Here at Chamisal Vineyards, harvest is in the air as our crew brings in the 2021 bounty. Our cellar team has been anxiously awaiting the fruit’s arrival by preparing our crush pad and cellar to ensure that it is in pristine condition. The quality of fruit our vineyard crew has harvested is of amazing quality and we can’t wait to taste the outcome of our hard work and dedication.

With national Grenache Day upon us – September 18th — we couldn’t think of a better time to release our Edna Valley Grenache. Our team is eager to celebrate the release of our new wines with you and look forward to seeing you at the winery, soon. The Estate Patio tastings and curbside pickup are available by appointment and reservations can be secured by visiting our site www.chamisalvineyards.com/visit. Need assistance with your upcoming visit? Our Chamisal team is here to assist you and can be reached by phone at 805-541-9463 ext. 1.

Our Chamisal family is thankful for members like you. You are our greatest ambassadors, and we are pleased to have seen many of you this summer. We hope that each celebratory moment this year, whether it’s a simple date night or family gathering, that it’s filled with good times and great Chamisal wines. Cheers!

Vineyard Update

Beyond the excitement of harvest, our team would like to share a few initiatives that we have recently participated in this summer. General Manager and Winemaker Fintan ‘Fin’ du Fresne and Assistant Vineyard Manager, Christian Rodriguez, were featured on VineyardTeam.org on the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. The podcast titled, “111: Planting a Miyawaki Mini Forest for Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity at Chamisal Vineyards” discussed the development of a coastal oak woodland and their planned partnership with Cal Poly State University to pipe CO2 from the winery into the forest. Check out the episode here.

Fin was also featured on KCBX in a segment called ‘Playing with Food.’ Father Ian and Fin took a deep dive into the topic we recently covered in our summer newsletter– cover crops. We hope that you’re able to take a listen and learn about the exciting things were doing at Chamisal Vineyards. You can listen to the segment here.

Lastly, our Chamisal team has been farming fresh produce for the foodbank and local community here in San Luis Obispo. We collaborated with Irrigation Design and Construction for irrigation supplies, Plantel Nurseries for plant material and 2 Peas in a Pod Farm for planning and tractor work. In June, the Chamisal crew and locals volunteered their time and harvested over five hundred pounds of lettuce for our community.

Follow us on both Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on what’s happening at Chamisal.

Fall 2021 wine releases

2018 STA. RITA HILLS CHARDONNAY

Classic Club Only

Opening with stunning aromas of Mirabelle plums, baked pear, and butterscotch that carry through to the palate, this vintage features accentuating notes of lemon pith and a luscious body balanced by lifted acidity and fresh minerality on the finish.

Winemaker Notes: As we release our third vintage of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, we are familiar with the nuances of this AVA and we’re honing in on the style of this wine. Grapes are picked early to allow the persistent acidity to shine, and we have decreased the amount of new oak used to showcase the terroir-driven minerality.
Drink now through 2024

2018 ESTATE GRENACHE

Classic, Rare Release and Premier Clubs

Aromatics of crushed red berry fruit and potpourri. Delicate spice and sandalwood notes. The palate has a juicy, mouth filling entry with persistent raspberry and red plum flavors. The palate is long rather than broad with lengthy acidity and hints of graphite. Pair with grilled lamb chops, duck confit or mushroom risotto.

Winemaker Notes: The cool climate of the Edna Valley is at the limit of where great Rhône-style wines can be made. The grapes for this delicious grenache noir come from two vineyards; our own Chamisal Estate and Morro View Vineyard. Morro View is less than a mile from our Estate and shares much of the characteristics of our soil and climate. Our Edna Valley Grenache embodies finesse with delicious red fruited expressions that are sure to delight the palate.
Drink now through 2028

2019 MORRITO PINOR NOIR

Rare Release and Premier Clubs only

On the nose, a flood of black fruit, bing cherry, dried thyme, and cigar box. Rich and densely textured, the wine opens in layers on the palate, revealing notes of currant, iris and spice. Velvety tannins provide structure while the wine finishes with fresh and focused acidity that lingers on the palate.

Winemaker Notes: This Pinot Noir comes from a single block planted on a hill directly behind our winery that has, vintage after vintage, proven to be an incredible site for Pinot Noir. The grapes are extremely concentrated and make for a stunningly intense Pinot Noir that we make with as little intervention as possible. Our goal here is simply to coax the wine into its purest and highest expression, crafting a true reflection of a singular site and vintage.
Drink now through 2030

2019 CALIFA GRENACHE

Rare Release and Premier Clubs only

Fresh and effusive on the nose, the wine opens with notes of black raspberry, tea rose, and white pepper. The wine’s dusting of fine-grained tannins and fresh, richly textured fruit makes for a wine that is supple yet lively on the palate with bright acidity and warm notes of baking spices that persist through the wine’s long finish

Winemaker Notes: Our estate vineyard is an exceptionally cool-climate site for Grenache – right on the cusp of being perhaps a bit too chilly for this heat-loving varietal. However, that’s not to say that we sacrifice anything in our expression of Grenache and, in fact, we love the wines that Grenache yields in cooler climates. Our Grenache is intense and spicy and requires a deft hand in the cellar to ensure a wine that is balanced and fresh. Always a personal favorite, this vintage of our Califa Grenache does not disappoint.
Drink now through 2030