The first vineyard planted in 1973 in what would become the Edna Valley AVA, Chamisal Vineyards is located just outside the city of San Luis Obispo on California’s Central Coast. A specialist in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Chamisal Vineyards strives to produce wines that express the wild and inspiring beauty of California’s Central Coast and, more specifically, our 82-acre estate vineyard.
Chamisal Vineyards has become one of the most renowned producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on California’s Central Coast. Our estate vineyard encompasses 82 acres planted across three distinct soil types: Chamise Shaly Loam, Tierra Sandy Loam, and Salinas Clay Loam. Located just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, our estate vineyard thrives in one of the coolest cool-climate regions across the winegrowing world. The maritime influence of our proximity to the Pacific Ocean has a huge influence on the quality and character of our wines. Our vineyard receives the benefit of a longer and more temperate growing season, allowing for the development of complexity and intensity in our wines, balanced by a coastal freshness that has become a hallmark of our wines. We are constantly learning from our vineyard and adapting and evolving our faming methods and the way we make our wines in the cellar. Each vintage is a culmination of the vintages before it, a patient and persistent progression of tinkering, experiments, and adjustments in the cellar to nudge each wine closer to its fullest and highest expression.
While some winemakers find their domain is limited mostly to the cellar, our winemaking team is committed to spending just as much time in the Chamisal vineyards. Estate Director Andrea de Palo is dedicated to making sure that guests have a memorable experience at Chamisal.
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Thorn Clarke Shotfire Shiraz is made from 100% Shiraz.
Striking deep red-purple in color. A rich, voluptuous wine with aromas of blackcurrant and mulberries accompanied by notes of smokey oak and hints of cloves. The palate is filled with dark fruits and chocolate backed up by taut tannins and lingering oak.
Review:
This is an attractively spicy wine on the nose with red, blue and black berries all in play, as well as an earthy edge and tarry elements. Some perfume, too. The palate has quite a deep-set, blue and black-fruit core with a long, sturdy palate that holds flavor and focus well. Drink or hold. Screw cap."
- James Suckling (November 2021), 92 pts
"Destemmed, pressed approximately 7 days later, 14 months in American oak (40% new). Rich, layered, mocha/chocolate overtones to the black berry fruits are obvious."
- Halliday Wine Companion (August 2020), 92 pts
Story:
When the Clarke forebearers discovered gold in 1870 at the Lady Alice mine in the Barossa goldfields, so began a family dynasty intrigued by geology. A fine legacy that is reflected today in the terroir of our vineyards. The Shotfire range immortalizes the Shotfirer's hazardous job of setting and lighting the charges in the mines.
Fran shares his story on how he discovered Thorn-Clarke:
"It was October 2001 and I was searching for and sourcing for Australian wines, as it was clear that Australia was going to become the "next big thing." After tasting about 100 assorted wines, I decided I liked the style of Barossa, Shiraz best - chocolate, cherries, mint and eucalyptus - so I started focusing on Barossa growers (years later, Barossa Shiraz would develop its reputation as the Icon Shiraz for Australia).
Late on a Thursday afternoon, the carrier delivered a beat-up box of 12 bottles from Australia, 10 of which were leaking. The box was from a guy named Steve Machin, who had just left Hardy's and was beginning work with the Clarke family on setting up a possible new brand. The samples were sticky and messy, but I popped the corks anyway ..... and I was glad that I did. The wine inside tasted like Christmas - mint, eucalyptus, camphor, and evergreen aromas. Great acidity, color, flavor and length of finish - very tasty. These samples were so good and so exciting, especially compared to what I had tasted prior, that I immediately called the number on the card. I didn't realize that it was a Perth number (Western Australia) and it was actually 3:00 in the morning. It turned out I was calling the residence of David and Cheryl Clarke, where a sleepy Cheryl answered the phone. I told her, you don't know who I am, but we are going to be doing business together very soon, and lots of it! After a few months of talking, faxing (yes, faxing) and sorting out the details, I began importing their wines.
That super-star wine from the busted box of samples is the wine we know today as Shotfire Shiraz. It was originally called Stone Jar, but fortunately we came up with a better name. Many years and vintages later, I'm still glad to be importing Shotfire Shiraz and other Thorn-Clarke selections .... and I'm still glad that Cheryl Clarke woke up for that phone call."
Turley Cedarman Zinfandel is made from 100 percent Zinfandel.
Review:
Keenly structured and appealingly briary, this Zin is loaded with jammy blackberry, roasted anise and licorice flavors that build toward broad-shouldered tannins.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points