Claiborne & Churchill Vintners

Maybe it’s the straw bale construction of the high-​ceilinged barrel and tasting room. Maybe it’s the «Gewürz ’til it hurts» t-​shirts for sale on a small wooden table set up next to a rack of oak barrels. Maybe it’s the Norse mythology artwork and Ann Arbor-​to-​Edna Valley odyssey taken by the husband-​and-​wife winery founders. Maybe it’s the laid-​back, straightforward style of the pourers who are happy to uncap an extra bottle of Edelzwicker so that you can admire the subtle scents and tastes of Alsatian wine-​making methods, or the care with which the local Pinot Noir grapes purchased from their Edna Valley neighbors are crafted into fine Californian wine. Who knows? But you’ll find yourself intrigued by your visit, enough to rethink your wine-​making prejudices and preferences. You’ll start searching out other places that make good Gewürztraminer. You’ll start stalking Terry Theise and singing the praises of Grüner Veltliner and Zweigelt. You’ll actually learn how to pronounce words like «Edelzwicker» the way that the Alsatians do.
Where will it all end? A wine club membership that brings you back twice a year to the Edna Valley? A wine tasting trip to Navarro Vineyards in the Anderson Valley? A road trip to the Pacific Northwest in search of the country’s best Rieslings? A visit to Kermit Lynch, the legendary Berkeley wine merchant, to sample some honest-​to-​goodness Alsatian gems of winemaker mastery? Dreams accentuated by umlauts and cellars stocked with Sylvaners and Müller-​Thurgaus? Where will it all end?
It hopefully won’t all end not at Claibourne and Churchill, but it just perhaps might begin here — or continue the journey — if you’re so inclined. Love affairs of the vine have begun from far more modest roots than these.

I’m more of a red wine drinker, but the Gewuerztraminer made here is really delicious. Cameron behind the counter was a complete delight. And we ran into some other patrons whom we had seen earlier that day. Pleasant conversation. Nice outdoor seating. Wine Club also.

I don’t care for sweet wine, so when she poured Riesling in my glass I was skeptical. I could not believe how deliciously dry it was though! It blew me away! Angela guided us through the wines and even gave us a few extra pours (we were the first ones in the door when it opened). Very delicious, wonderfully warm atmosphere, perfect location. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll make my way back here again for sure.

Loved visiting this place. Very relaxing atmosphere. We tasted on the patio and had a really friendly server who chatted with us about everything– wine, Game of Thrones, baby names etc… Wine was really good. Lots of people like their whites (which were good but not super flavorful– however we like reds more anyways), but we ended up buying their Straw Bale Red and PortObispo. Nice place to go if you are looking to relax, avoid a crowd and avoid pretentiousness.

A nice dog friendly winery in the Edna Valley region of SLO. There is a definite quality to each wine, although some aren’t my preferred varietal such as the gewürztraminer, none are bad enough to pour out. I especially enjoyed both Pinot noirs, and purchased a $ 26 bottle of Muscat to comp the $ 12 tasting fee. They occasionally have local musicians on the patio so it would be a great place to bring fido and relax in the sun with a glass of wine.

Such an inviting atmosphere, with friendly welcoming staff!
Great spot to picnic and enjoy a tasting. My husband and I joined their wine club after our first visit, and have brought friends and family back every time we are in town.
We look forward to the shipments and enjoy everything they include!

We arrived with a group of 10 and the winery was fairly empty. I was at a bachelorette party and our group chose a spot outside on the grass. They were unable to serve us the last half of wines because another group arrived. We had to go up to the bar to receive our pours. The wine was good and the atmosphere was pleasant. I was surprised that the only bathrooms available were porter potties. Overall good times, but the winery could use some updates.

Nice little stop for a wine tasting. Very friendly staff.
Three stars from me, only because they had mostly whites and only two reds. The Pinot Noir was really good.
If you love whites, I would suggest this place!

Nov. 2014 update: $ 10 tasting waived per bottle purchased. 2 different wine club levels which get 2 free tastings or 4 free tastings respectively. The Dry Gewurtztraminer and Dry Riesling ($ 17.50ish for wine club members) are always good but they have an excellent Pinot Blanc ($ 20 for wine club members) right now — rich and creamy and so good. The Pinot Noir and the Malbec are both good this year — the Malbec needs a bit of maturing but would go great with some BBQed chicken. The staff were helpful and the outdoor tasting area is really pleasant. If the parking lot is full you can park along the road side.

the hostess here was impeccably friendly and didn’t make us feel guilty knowing we probably weren’t going to buy any wine. the patio and garden were lovely and perfect for drinking and snacking on breakfast leftovers.
10 $ for 5 pours and they bring it out to you if you decide you want to sit outside instead of in the tasting room. i thoroughly enjoyed the wines. they have concerts and food trucks on most nights.

Revisited Claiborne and Churchill for one of their summer Sips and Songs event. I’m a big fan of their wines, and a big fan of live jazz music, and this was the perfect pairing. The event was casual, with people picnicking on the lawn or bringing their own chairs in addition to the patio furniture. Boyfriend and I managed to snag a bench. We savored glasses of the dry riesling and gewurstraminer while enjoying tacos from Taqueria Santa Cruz. So yum! Definitely a relaxing, fun date.

I love white wines as much as I love reds. I was really excited to try Claiborne & Churchill because they are one of the few to offer mostly white wines in Enda Valley. We unfortunately did not have the best experience, however. Our server was polite, but pretty cold and not very knowledgeable. She seemed to be reading off some script and rushing us through the wine tastings. The wines themselves were ok. I love a good Gewürztraminer and Riesling, but I didn’t really find much to crow about. The wines are reasonably priced and your tasting is free with a purchase of a bottle. The tasting room is right off the 227 so it’s hard to miss. Also, the building is made out of straw — ask about the construction from one of the staff members.

Wonderful wines can be found at this charming winery. You will experience a little bit of Alsace. France with their Gewürztraminer, and Dry Riesling, in addition the winemaker Coby Parker Garcia is doing wonderful wines from the Central Coast is Pinot Noir. The tasting staff is knowledgeable and genuinely happy to be there.

5 because of the service and they cater to please whoever walks in. Knowledgeable person serving the tasting was a BIG plus! Gewurtrameiner is so good! I haven’t had a real good one in a long, long time! Will return to this great place!

Charming tasting room. Service was extremely friendly and knowledgeable.
I enjoyed everything on the menu and picked up a bottle of Dry Gewürztraminer and Dry Riesling.

Superb wine selection easy to find. Indoor and outdoor wine tasting availabilities. Extremely friendly staff and well catered to. I would strongly recommend this place as a stopping point on vacation. I plan on coming back. The staff was very knowledgeable and down to earth.

All white flight! Yay!
And the wine chick was so happy to give me an all white tasting, which made it even more fun than usual. Most other places are like «try our delicious Pinot Noir and Zinfandel» and I’m like.‘yeah they’re delicious but, now I have G.E.R.D from the tannins and it hurts like a mofo!’ so, I love me some white wines and this place had an abundance of them!
We left with 2 Rieslings and 1 dry muscat, which was the most unique muscat I have ever had graze my tongue. Delicious! Simply delicious! Not too sweet but, sweet enough. not syrupy at all.

One of many stops that day, Mr. B fell in love with their 2013 dry Gewurtztraminer. He found it nicely crisp and fruity. He had to get a bottle for his collection that was already growing in the back seat of our car. Should have packed a wine refrigerator for our trip.
The interior is non-​pretentious with a small tasting area complete with tall stack of full barrels in the background. I cannot emphasize how the smells enhance the experience.
Tasting was free with our purchase. A good stop.

Not really a fan of their wines here. The tasting room is tiny and the staff isn’t very accommodating to lots of people. There was a bachelorette party in there when we were visiting and the staff didn’t know what to do with all of us. They seemed very overwhelmed.
This was the last tour of the day for us so I wanted to share tastings w my husband and girl at the counter looked shocked, maybe that’s why her pours were sooooo small. I could barely get a full sip. Not good service. So many other wineries worth stopping at over this one. $ 10 for 5 tastings.

I did it. I caved. I got a membership.
I like to come here and get a glass of the Gewurtztraminer on those annoyingly warm sunny days here on the central coast which, consequently, is often. I love how laid back and friendly the staff is and I have actually gotten to know them on a first name basis. I am not a huge white wine drinker yet, put a Claiborne and Churchill white in front of me and… Don’t mind if i do!
I mean, you know you like a place when you have debated putting in a job application. I am just that excited by their wines and positive energy.
I am excited for my first wine pick up party this month and seeing what comes in the shipment.
All this talk about C&C has made me thirsty. I’ve got a Runestone red with my name on it. Literally, so my house mates won’t drink it. ;)