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The Winery:
Closer to Chico than to Red Bluff or
Redding, this is the only Monastic Winery in
the Americas. This small estate is the
juncture of centuries of monastic wine
history, a railroad magnate and one of
California’s most colorful publishing
empire's founder as well as one of
California's oldest winemaking families.
This winery is a must visit for anyone with
a serious love of wine architecture and
history. To get the whole story of this
great little winery, go to New
Clairvaux on California Wine Magazine.
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The Vineyards:
Hang time, the length of time the
grapes can remain on the vines and such
a critical part of the maturity of
complex flavors, would seem to be short
in such a hot environment, but just the
opposite is true. A strange
characteristic of wine grapes is that
they shut down and stop maturing any
time temperatures exceed 98 degrees.
Since there are so many more days in the
far northern valley in that temperature
range, the effect is somewhat similar to
the cool evenings in the central Sierra
Foothills, the warm temperature
encourage the grapes to rest thus
lengthening hang times allowing heat
loving grapes to mature more slowly.
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Region:
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Tehama and Southern Shasta
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Locations:
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7th & C Streets
Vina, CA 96092
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Phone:
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Winemaker:
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Aimee Sunseri
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Tasting Room:
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Picnic Grounds:
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Picnic Tables Available
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Days/Hours:
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Saturday & Sunday, 11:00 to 5:00
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Red Wines:
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Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Barbera,
Petite Sirah, Syrah
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White Wines:
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Email:
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Website:
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Winemaker:
The winemaker at New Clairvaux, Aimee Sunseri, is
a UC Davis graduate and a fifth generation
California winemaker. She is descended from the
founder of Nicolini Winery in the Napa Valley, the
second oldest winery in California still operating
under the same family and is a cousin of the Boeger
family of Boeger Winery in El Dorado County.
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The Wines:
The winery produces wines more reminiscent
of the Spanish and Italian style than
French based on the grapes and their
growing environment. The winery
currently offers eight wines, three whites
and five reds. The petite sirah is of
particular merit with its great mouthfeel,
intense fruit and spice with a very good
tannin structure.
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