Clos Pepe Vineyards: The 'ClosJo' Starts with the Dirt! Sandy loam means low vigor and swift drainage--small berries, high intensity.

Updated: July, 2011

Clos Pepe is a family-owned vineyard and winery set in the heart of the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County, California. Of the 29 acres planted in vines, 25 acres are planted in Pinot Noir, and 4 acres in Chardonnay. Pinot Noir is our passion. We make about 800 cases of Estate Pinot Noir each year, 100 cases of Chablis-style Chardonnay that is aged without the use of any new oak, and a few hundred cases of 'Barrel Fermented' Chardonnay using only older, 'neutra;' French oak barrels. We sell grapes to other wineries as well. For a list, see below.

'Clos' (pronounced with a long 'o' and with no 's', like 'Klo') is a French word that literally means 'wall'. It describes the ancient stone walls that surround small, meticulously farmed (usually) Burgundian vineyards,rarely you will see a 'Clos' in other regions of France, such as Alsace, the Rhone, or Bordeaux. The term 'Clos' also denotes a winery in the same way as the words 'Domaine' or 'Chateau'. So the name 'Clos Pepe' means Pepe's Winery, or, more specifically 'The Burgundian-style vineyard of a guy named Pepe'. Steve Pepe (pronounced 'peppy' like someone with a lot of energy) is our Vigneron - he oversees operations and tastes barrels and aging bottles to assure they live up to his strict quality standards.

Clos Pepe believes that great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is an expression of passionate viticulture. We farm with an eye for detail and sustainability. We keep the same crew employed year-round so the same hands prune, culture, tend and harvest the vines. Our vineyard manager, Wes Hagen (Central Coast Winegrower's Association Grower of the Year 2001-2002, and author of three petitions to establish American Viticultural Areas (the Santa Rita Hills, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara and Ballard Canyon) is also our winemaker. Having total control of the vineyards (design, planting, farming, harvest) and wine production (picking decisions, crushing, fermentation, pressing, barrels, bottling) allows Wes (and his co-winemaker, wife Chanda) the freedom to craft wines that represent the time and the place where they were grown and vinted. Our tierra sandly loam soils are rich in calcium/silica in the form of diatomaceous earth. They produce low-vigor vines and a tiny crop of mineral-laden, intensely flavored fruit. Normal yields are 1-2.5 tons/acre of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This is less than the yield that is allowed in Burgundy's Grand Cru AOC system. The magic of the Santa Rita Hills' soils are a combination of low vigor and swift drainage, allowing the vines' roots to dry periodically during the growing season to intensify flavors and color in our tiny berries and clusters.

Our current list of prodcuers, as of Harvest 2011, include Clos Pepe Estate, Arcadian, Ken Brown, Siduri, Loring Wine Company, AP Vin, Hall Wines and Roessler . All of these wineries vineyard designate their Clos Pepe wines. Wineries that no longer make Clos Pepe wines, but did in previous vintages, include Brewer-Clifton, Diatom, Ojai, Tyler, L'aventure, Au Bon Climat, Hitching Post, Testarossa, LaVie, Babcock, Vino V and Carr Wines.