Campion Winery 'Camp 4 Vineyard' Red Blend, Santa Ynez Valley, California 2023
Founded in 2000 by Larry Brooks and now owned by Todd and Shanna Tipton — with Brooks continuing in a consulting role — Campion is a small, site-focused winery dedicated to the cool coastal appellations of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. This wine has an unusual origin: Larry was originally commissioned to make it as a proprietary label for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, who own Camp 4 Vineyard. When those plans changed, the wine became part of the Campion lineup. The result is a Rhône-influenced field blend from one of the Central Coast's most storied vineyards — a place the Chumash have now literally reclaimed as their own.
- WINEMAKER: Larry Brooks
- FARMING: Sustainably farmed. The vineyard is owned and managed by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
- VARIETY: 49% Carignan, 43% Mourvèdre, 8% Grenache
- TERROIR: Camp 4 Vineyard, situated on the eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley on the valley floor below 300 feet elevation, within the Los Olivos District. Originally planted in 1999 by the late actor and vintner Fess Parker and purchased by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in 2010, the 256-acre vineyard spans gently rolling terrain dotted with valley oaks and is home to 19 varieties with a focus on Rhône grapes. Soils are Positas fine sandy loam over gravelly loam. Though the interior location generates daytime warmth, hot air rising from further inland pulls cooler Pacific air over the site each evening, producing a diurnal swing that preserves freshness and mineral cut. Vines planted 1999.
- VINIFICATION: Each variety fermented separately. Combined into an 800-gallon foudre for blending and rest.
- AGING: 14 months in 800-gallon foudre.
- TASTING NOTES: Light-bodied and nimble on its feet despite a concentrated fruit core. Red fruit, dried cranberry, and raisin with iron, spice, and lifted aromatics. Lively and easy-drinking with characteristic Carignan freshness underpinning the more structured Mourvèdre frame.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Roast chicken, lamb merguez, duck confit, lentils and braised greens, charcuterie, hard aged cheeses.
Campion Winery 'Camp 4 Vineyard' Red Blend, Santa Ynez Valley, California 2023
Founded in 2000 by Larry Brooks and now owned by Todd and Shanna Tipton — with Brooks continuing in a consulting role — Campion is a small, site-focused winery dedicated to the cool coastal appellations of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. This wine has an unusual origin: Larry was originally commissioned to make it as a proprietary label for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, who own Camp 4 Vineyard. When those plans changed, the wine became part of the Campion lineup. The result is a Rhône-influenced field blend from one of the Central Coast's most storied vineyards — a place the Chumash have now literally reclaimed as their own.
- WINEMAKER: Larry Brooks
- FARMING: Sustainably farmed. The vineyard is owned and managed by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians.
- VARIETY: 49% Carignan, 43% Mourvèdre, 8% Grenache
- TERROIR: Camp 4 Vineyard, situated on the eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley on the valley floor below 300 feet elevation, within the Los Olivos District. Originally planted in 1999 by the late actor and vintner Fess Parker and purchased by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians in 2010, the 256-acre vineyard spans gently rolling terrain dotted with valley oaks and is home to 19 varieties with a focus on Rhône grapes. Soils are Positas fine sandy loam over gravelly loam. Though the interior location generates daytime warmth, hot air rising from further inland pulls cooler Pacific air over the site each evening, producing a diurnal swing that preserves freshness and mineral cut. Vines planted 1999.
- VINIFICATION: Each variety fermented separately. Combined into an 800-gallon foudre for blending and rest.
- AGING: 14 months in 800-gallon foudre.
- TASTING NOTES: Light-bodied and nimble on its feet despite a concentrated fruit core. Red fruit, dried cranberry, and raisin with iron, spice, and lifted aromatics. Lively and easy-drinking with characteristic Carignan freshness underpinning the more structured Mourvèdre frame.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Roast chicken, lamb merguez, duck confit, lentils and braised greens, charcuterie, hard aged cheeses.