Clos Pepe Producers and the Wines of Clos Pepe Vineyards

The following is an up to date list (as of 7/28/06) of every vineyard designated wine produced from Clos Pepe Vineyards. Click on each to learn more and to find contact information.  Those wineries with their own website are linked through a web address. Only wines that are vineyard designated are included.

CURRENT PRODUCERS:

(and a few reviews)

AP Vin: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: 2003, 2004, 2005 AP Vin Pinot Noir, 'Clos Pepe'. Ongoing contracts.

2004 AP Vin Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 93 Points. "High-toned floral, lavender and wild berry flavors are intense and vivid on the palate, joined by blackberry, mineral and pleasing earthy nuances for a long, sustained finish. Drink now through 2009. 50 cases made. (JL)"

Brewer-Clifton: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: 1998 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay, 'Clos Pepe', 2000 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir 2000 'Clos Pepe', 2001 Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe', 2002 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Ongoing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay contract and vineyard designated wines.  Clone Pommard 4 and Wente Chardonnay.

2001 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe'.  (WA 91 points)  "This offering is a dead ringer for a top-flight Burgundy." -- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, issue 149

2002 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 91 Points. "You can almost roll the pebbles around in your mouth. Firm and concentrated, with flinty pear, citrus, apricot and a touch of hazelnut, finishing with a long, cleansing aftertaste. About as close as Chardonnay gets to the minerally, flinty character captured by the best Chablis. Drink now through 2008. 95 cases made. (JL)"

Clos Pepe Estate: Commercial, small case production wines vinted by Wes Hagen, Chanda Hagen and Steve Pepe (winemakers) include 2000-2005 Pinot Noir, 2000-2005 Chardonnay (stainless steel).  Wines are currently made at the production facility of Summerland Wines in Sta Maria, CA..  Click the above link to find out more about our own Clos Pepe wines. Clones 115, 667, 777.

Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir 2004: Wine Spectator 93 Points. "Firm and tight, with rich, concentrated earthy blueberry, spice, mineral, lead pencil and cedar notes that offer remarkable depth and complexity. On the finish, the flavors keep repeating the essential flavor themes. Drink now through 2009. 800 cases made. (JL)"

Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir 2003: Wine Spectator 92 Points. "Tightly focused on a beam of vivid blackberry and blueberry fruit, this is both a rich and concentrated young wine but also a remarkably elegant and refined style that finishes with pleasant earthy nuance. Drink now through 2009. 375 cases made. (JL)"

Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir 2002: Wine Spectator 91 Points. "Dark and intense, with a rich, complex, dense, extracted core of beefy Pinot flavors, touching on blackberry, wild berry, spice and cedary-mocha woody flavors. It exhibits firm tannins and ample oak, too, though nothing out of line for a wine this young. Best from 2005 through 2010. 228 cases made. (JL)"

Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir 2001: Wine Spectator 90 Points.

Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir 2000: Double Gold Medal Award: Pinot Noir Class, Santa Barbara County Fair Wine Competition

Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir 2000: WA..R. Parker Closing Date: 6-29-02, Issue 141 89+ Points "A brilliant effort that should merit a higher score with another year of cellaring, [...] dark ruby-colored, savory effort from the new appellation northwest of Los Olivos, is produced from the French Pinot Noir clone 115.  Big and broad, with tangy acidity as well as tannin to resolve, it tastes more like a barrel sample than a finished wine.  Offering loads of mineral-infused cherry and blueberry fruit, this complex, promising 2000 will be at its finest between 2003-2010."

Diatom: Greg Brewer's stainless steel chardonnay program. Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: 2005 Diatom 'Clos Pepe'

Loring Wine Company: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit:  Loring Wine Co. 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005   Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe', 2005 Chardonnay 'Clos Pepe' and ongoing contract for Pinot Noir fruit. Clones 667 and 115.

2002 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 95 Points.   Something to behold for its dense, rich layers of flavor among the best Pinots I've tasted from California.  An extraordinary wine, with fabulous fragrances of rose petal, lilac, ripe plum, boysenberry and blackberry all beautifully focused and tapered.  Exhibits dense, rich, concentrated flavors on the palate, with a finish that keeps pushing forth new nuances on a plush texture.' 

2003 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 92 Points. "This ripe, vibrant, intensely flavored wine gushes with fresh blackberry, wild berry and spicy floral notes. Tightly wound and well-focused, it is dense and concentrated, with a deep core of wild berry, boysenberry and blackberry. Drink now through 2008. 250 cases made. (JL)"

Ojai Vineyard: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit:  Ojai 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Chardonnay 'Clos Pepe', Ojai 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe', ongoing contracts for Chardonnay Clone 76 and Pinot Noir Pommard 4 clone.

2000 Ojai Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe'.  (WA 90 Points)  "...a dead ringer for a premier cru red Burgundy from Pommard." -- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, issue 149

2001 Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe'.  (WA 92 points)  "The brilliant [2001 Ojai 'Clos Pepe' Pinot Noir's] compelling aromas of forest floor, black fruits, and white flowers are followed by a medium to full-bodied, dense, ripe wine with great fruit, tremendous purity, and a long concentrated finish. -- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, issue 149

2001 Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 92 Points. "Firm and muscular, with dark, rich fruit and impressively ripe tannins giving it a solid backbone. The core of blackberry, wild berry, boysenberry, pencil lead and fresh earth give this wine a unique flavor profile that's highly distinctive. Finishes with a long, concentrated aftertaste. Drink now through 2008. 200 cases made. (JL)"

Roessler: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: 2004, 2005 Roessler Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Siduri: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: Siduri 2000, 2001, 2002  Pinot Noir, 'Clos Pepe', ongoing contracts for Pinot Noir fruit. 115 Clone.

2001 Siduri Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe'.  Amazing elegance, richness and purity of flavor, with a tight, deeply concentrated core of wild berry, huckleberry and boysenberry fruit that's dense and sharply focused.  Ample tannins for cellaring.  Best from 2004 through 2010.  189 cases made.  (93 points from James Laube at the Wine Spectator)

2001 Siduri Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe'.  (Parker 92 points)  'Very impressive!'  (Robert Parker, WA #149)

2001 Siduri Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 93 Points. "Amazing elegance, richness and purity of flavor, with a tight, deeply concentrated core of wild berry, huckleberry and boysenberry fruit that's dense and sharply focused. Ample tannins for cellaring. Best from 2004 through 2010. 189 cases made. (JL)"

2002 Siduri Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 93 Points. "Dark, rich, intense and concentrated, with a complex, detailed array of wild berry, blueberry, boysenberry, mineral and fresh earth. Deftly balanced and tightly focused, with wonderful aromatics and a firm tannic backbone, it's another tremendous effort from Siduri and Clos Pepe. Drink now through 2009. 71 cases made. (JL)"

2003 Siduri Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe': Wine Spectator 92 Points. "Ripe, rich and lively, with a zesty medley of plum, blackberry, blueberry and hints of raspberry. Tightly focused, with delicate oak shadings peeking through, this is a wonderful expression of Pinot Noir fruit. Drink now through 2008. 88 cases made. (JL)"

2004 Siduri Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe' Wine Spectator 90 Points: "Strikes a fine balance between richness and elegance, with ripe, vivid blackberry and wild berry fruit, hints of sage and fresh earth. Hints of wilted rose petal and floral scents give it an added dimension of complexity and nuance. Drink now through 2009. 270 cases made. (JL)"

Babcock Winery and Vineyard: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: 1998 Babcock Chardonnay 'Clos Pepe', 2000 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County (part Clos Pepe).  Dijon 76 clone of Chardonnay and 667 Pinot Noir (was blended in 2000).

Babcock Vineyards     1998     Chardonnay Clos Pepe Vineyard
Score: 88 Points (Robert Parker, 'Wine Advocate')

My favorite of Babcock's three Chardonnays is the 1998 Chardonnay Clos Pepe.  From a relatively new vineyard planted with the Wente and the Dijon clones, this was the most complete of the Chardonnays.  Exhibiting notes of tangerine, mango, and honeysuckle, this medium to full bodied, refreshing, well-built Chardonnay has 4-5 years of aging potential.  Well-balanced and pure, it is Babcock's most impressive offering of current Chardonnays.

Longoria: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: Longoria Chardonnay 1998, 1999, 2000 'Clos Pepe Vineyard'.  Clos Pepe fruit was blended into the 'Santa Rita Cuvee' Chardonnay in the same years. Wente Clone Chardonnay.

Longoria Wine Cellars     1998     Chardonnay Clos Pepe Vineyards
Score: 89 Points (Robert Parker, 'Wine Advocate')

Longoria's three Chardonnays are also impressive.  Like some of the other winemakers, Richard Longoria is exploring a new area in western Santa Ynez Valley.  The 1998 Chardonnay Clos Pepe Vineyard is the finest wine tasted from this young source of Chardonnay fruit.  It exhibits excellent tropical fruit aromas, intense flavors, admirable underlying acidity, and an impressive mid-palate and finish.

Hitching Post (Hartley-Ostini):  Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit:  Hitching Post 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001Chardonnay 'Clos Pepe', Hitching Post 2000, 2001, 2002 Pinot Noir 'Clos Pepe'.   Pommard 4 Clone Pinot Noir and Clone 4 Chardonnay.

Testarossa: Wines produced from Clos Pepe fruit: Testarossa 1999, 2000 Chardonnay 'Clos Pepe Vineyard'.  Pinot Noir 2002, 2003. Clone 5 Chardonnay, 115 Clone Pinot Noir.