The winemaker behind Clesi Wines, Chris Ferrara comes from a Sicilian-American family that’s farmed in California for generations. The winery’s name “Clesi” is a nod to his great-great grandmother, Anna Clesi Ferrara, and Chris’s wines reflect that deep-rooted connection to family and place. His focus on Italian grape varieties isn’t just a passion project, it’s personal. The winery is tucked into the Templeton Gap region of Paso Robles and focusses on grapes that speak to his heritage, like Nero d’Avola, Aglianico, and Montepulciano. Chris doesn’t go for flash; instead, he lets his winemaking personality come through in the grapes and the vineyards he works with, crafting wines that are both honest and expressive. His single-vineyard bottlings—like this Gemeny Vineyard Nero d’Avola—are small-production gems that showcase the synergy between grape variety and site.

Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s signature red grape, known for its bold personality—think dark cherry, boysenberry, earthy spice, and enough structure to make it both age-worthy but still be food-friendly in its youth. While it thrives under the hot Mediterranean sun, it turns out Paso Robles is a pretty perfect stand-in. The region’s warm days help the grapes ripen fully, while the cool nights preserve acidity and freshness, making for wines that are rich but balanced. Clesi’s Gemeny Vineyard bottling is a great example of what happens when Old World grapes meet New World terroir: the result is a wine that’s both rooted in tradition and totally California.