Clesi Winery

Clesi Winery

1873 Templeton Road, Paso Robles, CA
www.ClesiWines.com

Region: Paso Robles

Owners: Chris and Adrienne Ferrara

Winemaker: Chris Ferrara

About: Tucked in between the rolling hills of the Templeton Gap AVA and surrounded by vegetable gardens and roaming chickens, Clesi is dedicated to the lesser-known varieties of Italy. Like the Sicilian trinacria stamped on the label, the inspiration behind Clesi is a symbolic trifecta. Equal parts legacy, curiosity, and culture, Chris brings his Sicilian-American farming roots, love of eccentric varietals, and reverence for Italian culture into his winemaking process. Because of this, Clesi wines are elegant, food-focused, and meant to be shared amongst family and friends.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Nero d’Avola: Anyone who has been to both Sicily and Paso Robles would agree that the similarities are evident. Nero d’Avola has been cultivated for more than 500 years in Sicily and perfected for a dry and warm climate with ancient volcanic soils and marine influence. While we don’t aim to replicate the delicious wines of Sicily, we do want to create an expression of this variety that showcases the similar growing conditions.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Chris and Adrienne worked for Ken Volk out of college. He was the preeminent forager of interesting wine varieties in the 1990s. He was growing Blaufränkisch and Tocai Friulano. He sought out Negrette and Malvasia Bianca and so many more. While there wasn’t just one lesser-known first, the exposure to so many all at once was a hook and helped Chris to realize that he loved the Italian grapes most, including Dolcetto, Montepulciano, Sagrantino, and Aglianico.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? It is like a (yet) unknown cultural food or an interesting conversation with a new friend; it is so exciting to learn and be inspired. We are the adventurers!