About Campion Wines

During my many years of toiling in others vineyards, so to speak, I often dreamed of having my own wines. Doubtless, at some level, each of the countless wines I made are mine. I have controlled or influenced most of the decisions on them from grapegrowing through to the bottle. But there is a difference in approach when the wines are truly your own. Wines made for others and with others are of necessity compromised. These wines may not have suffered quality wise, but purity of expression unavoidably got muddled. Now, after nearly 25 years I have the luxury with Campion of producing wines that epitomize my vision. Which wine to make was hardly a decision at all. Pinot Noir is the central and essential wine. It has been and will remain my favorite.

In order to make the unsullied wines I desired it was important to have Campion's output be very small. Not only does this allow greater attention to detail, but it allows me to keep financial control. Rare, limited production wines are also less vulnerable to the insistent demands of the market which can quickly reduce style to its lowest common denominator.

My approach to crafting Pinot Noir is informed by my deeply held belief in terroir. No other wine shows this aspect of wine so clearly as Pinot. If wines are the lenses through which we view the place and time of their creation, then Pinot is the most optically true. It is transparent to the effects of soil, weather, and climate. Not all styles can augment or even show terroir. Terroir is an aspect that comes from the vines. Therefore styles that are high in fruit flavor and subtle from an oak perspective allow the terroir to speak.

My choice to make Pinots from more than one appellation is also informed by my desire to demonstrate the effects of the land over the technique. It is as well a reflection of my belief that there is not one perfect area for growing Pinot Noir in California. Rather, there are many fine spots where you can make top quality wine. Each has something to say. In the same way that it would be tiring to read the same author over and over again, I fear that any single appellation would grow stale with time. Another key aspect of Campion's approach is to make as balanced a wine as possible from a structural or textural point of view. Very often with Pinot when extract or density increases the balance between the tannins is lost. It is not difficult to make a big Pinot Noir, but it is virtually impossible to make a big Pinot that is harmonious. In all red wines, as structure increases, perfume decreases. Because, I believe, much of the essence of Pinot is in its perfume, I would rather err on the side of too little instead of too much structure. There are so many other varietals that suit a powerful structure, but there is only one red wine that exemplifies gracefulness and finesse, and that is Pinot. My aim is to make Pinot as it is, not into something it is not.