Clesi sits out in the Templeton Gap, where the air moves in from the sea and the light stretches long in the afternoon. Chris and Adrienne Ferrara run their vineyard and winery with the calm rhythm of people who know exactly why they’re here. The heritage is Sicilian, so maybe there’s drama, but mainly just the steady work of growing grapes that feel right in this landscape. Grapes from the old country. grapes that speak the Ferrara’s own language even in Californian sunlight.

The wines line up like familiar characters in one of Andrea Camilleri’s lesser novels. Aglianico, brooding but loyal once you get to know it and know to beat it up for its own good. Barbera, bright and quick to smile. Sangiovese, the cherryish friend who gets along with everyone. Dolcetto, easy company at any hour if you’re not enamored of Nebiolo. Montepulciano, strong shoulders and a warm heart, and then the distaff Malvasia Bianca, a quiet breeze through an open window. There’s even a Cabernet Sauvignon, which probably gets them invited to places that don’t understand why anyone would grow such an unusual mélange of weird grapes in Paso Robles, home of Cabernet and Rhône varieties.

What ties everything together is a simple truth. These wines are made for the table. Mangia! Mangia! They’re built to enhance conversation, to accompany good food, to get your company loose, friendly and full of happiness. You don’t need to chase meaning in a glass of wine from Clesi. it arrives on its own, like someone knocking on the door right when you were hoping they would.