Campion Winery 'Trestle Vineyard' Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo, California 2022
Founded in 2000 by winemaker Larry Brooks — who spent nearly two decades as the original winemaker at Acacia Winery in Carneros, then served as COO and VP of Winemaking for the Chalone Wine Group — Campion was built around a single belief: Pinot Noir belongs in the medium-bodied, elegant register, and no other variety suffers more from being pushed somewhere it doesn't want to go. Brooks sold the label to Todd and Shanna Tipton in 2022 and remained on as consulting winemaker; the two are now jointly responsible for all decisions from harvest timing to final blend. The program focuses on the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara appellations, drawing from a small number of carefully selected vineyard sites. 2022 marked Campion's inaugural vintage from the Trestle Vineyard.
- WINEMAKER: Larry Brooks
- FARMING: Sustainable
- VARIETY: 100% Pinot Noir (Clone 96, a heritage French selection originally sourced from Chalone)
- TERROIR: Cal Poly's Trestle Vineyard, located on the northwest corner of the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, on a slight bench above Stenner Creek near the railroad trestle bridge for which it is named. The 13-acre vineyard holds multiple Pinot Noir blocks; Campion selected the Clone 96 portion for its open-cluster architecture and exceptionally small berry size, which promotes concentration of both color and flavor. 2022 was the third consecutive dry season in the region. The growing season was largely cool but was interrupted by a persistent heat wave in early September, arriving just as the Pinot Noir was reaching ripeness.
- VINIFICATION: Destemmed into small open-top bins with minimal stem inclusion. Cold-soaked several days prior to inoculation. Hand punch-downs throughout fermentation. Drained and pressed after 12–14 days. No press wine included in the final blend.
- AGING: French oak barrels, approximately 30% new. Blended and bottled the following summer.
- TASTING NOTES: Medium-bright ruby. Aromas of fresh plum and cedar lead to a soft, integrated palate with notes of confectionary fruit and cooked cherry. Approachable now, with a projected youthful peak through 2026–2027.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Roast chicken, quail and game birds, grilled salmon, mushroom dishes, tacos and smoky or salt-cured preparations.
Campion Winery 'Trestle Vineyard' Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo, California 2022
Founded in 2000 by winemaker Larry Brooks — who spent nearly two decades as the original winemaker at Acacia Winery in Carneros, then served as COO and VP of Winemaking for the Chalone Wine Group — Campion was built around a single belief: Pinot Noir belongs in the medium-bodied, elegant register, and no other variety suffers more from being pushed somewhere it doesn't want to go. Brooks sold the label to Todd and Shanna Tipton in 2022 and remained on as consulting winemaker; the two are now jointly responsible for all decisions from harvest timing to final blend. The program focuses on the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara appellations, drawing from a small number of carefully selected vineyard sites. 2022 marked Campion's inaugural vintage from the Trestle Vineyard.
- WINEMAKER: Larry Brooks
- FARMING: Sustainable
- VARIETY: 100% Pinot Noir (Clone 96, a heritage French selection originally sourced from Chalone)
- TERROIR: Cal Poly's Trestle Vineyard, located on the northwest corner of the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, on a slight bench above Stenner Creek near the railroad trestle bridge for which it is named. The 13-acre vineyard holds multiple Pinot Noir blocks; Campion selected the Clone 96 portion for its open-cluster architecture and exceptionally small berry size, which promotes concentration of both color and flavor. 2022 was the third consecutive dry season in the region. The growing season was largely cool but was interrupted by a persistent heat wave in early September, arriving just as the Pinot Noir was reaching ripeness.
- VINIFICATION: Destemmed into small open-top bins with minimal stem inclusion. Cold-soaked several days prior to inoculation. Hand punch-downs throughout fermentation. Drained and pressed after 12–14 days. No press wine included in the final blend.
- AGING: French oak barrels, approximately 30% new. Blended and bottled the following summer.
- TASTING NOTES: Medium-bright ruby. Aromas of fresh plum and cedar lead to a soft, integrated palate with notes of confectionary fruit and cooked cherry. Approachable now, with a projected youthful peak through 2026–2027.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Roast chicken, quail and game birds, grilled salmon, mushroom dishes, tacos and smoky or salt-cured preparations.