Capiaux Cellars

Capiaux Cellars specializes in small lot vineyard-designated California Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir has always been recognized as one of the noblest red wines, one of the most difficult to produce. It has many expressions, from light and fruity to dark and earthy. These nuances and qualities excite Sean Capiaux and his team to pursue the “Holy Grail” of Pinot Noir.

Founded in 1994, the winery’s philosophy is to produce wines that express terroir, a sense of place or distinctive quality that sets them apart. Only high-quality, low-yield grapes from select clones from unique viticultural areas are used. The winemaking style is a blend of classic and contemporary, pairing cutting edge equipment with hands-on winemaking. The emphasis is balance. The wines are fermented with little intervention, unfined and unfiltered to preserve flavour and aroma. Minimal new oak is used, usually one third.

Sean Capiaux has an established and notable career at prominent wineries around the world, including Jordan, Pine Ridge and Peter Michael in California; Macari, Jamesport and Schneider in Long Island; and Houghton’s in Australia. He also works as winemaker for O’Shaughnessy in the Howell Mountain appellation of Napa Valley.