Claiborne & Churchill is a small, family owned and operated winery, founded in 1983 and located in the heart of the Edna Valley, just outside San Luis Obispo, California. Inspired by the wines of Alsace, we specialize in premium dry wines made from Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris grapes, as well as handcrafted Pinot Noir from several nearby vineyards. We also produce small lots of other wines, including Chardonnay, Syrah, and a Port-style wine.
With its first crush in 1983 Claiborne & Churchill announced its special focus, producing 565 cases of Dry Gewurztraminer and Dry Riesling, modeled on the fruity but dry dinner wines of the French province of Alsace. Claiborne & Churchill now produces about 5000 cases of wine a year, purchasing grapes from vineyards in the cool maritime valleys of California's Central Coast.About two-thirds of these wines remain our signature wines, the Dry Riesling and Dry Gewurztraminer, which are sold all over the country (and abroad) by a network of brokers and distributors. A variety of other wines, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as other wines in the Alsatian style (Pinot Gris, Dry Muscat, and an Edelzwicker), are produced in small lots and can be ordered directly from the winery.
