All about our estate vineyard in the York Mountain AVA.
It only takes a few moments in Chelle Mountain Vineyard—where winds course through the vines, old oaks stand guard, and Paso Robles’ flaxen hills unfold before you—to know that it has a special energy. York Mountain is one of the oldest AVAs in the US, a tiny, rugged swath of land where sunshine reigns and temperatures plunge overnight. And Chelle’s 60 acres (15 planted) sit at its very apex. Over 1,600 feet up, eight miles from the Pacific, it’s vastly cooler than the surrounding area, and the vines know it. Rooted in deep, sandy loam soils and grafted onto decades-old rootstock, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot ripen patiently, revealing beautiful balance and concentration.
Vailia first bought fruit from Chelle in 2010, a truckload of Cabernet Sauvignon she hauled down the mountain in a downpour. She and her husband Russell were so enchanted by the place that they bought it in 2017. Since then, they’ve tended it fastidiously, rehabilitating the soils and farming sustainably. Today, Vailia uses Chelle Mountain fruit in her Vela Sauvignon Blanc, Carmen Sauvignon Blanc, Axis Petit Verdot, and Phoebe Cabernet Franc, and more.
