Clos des Amis - California
Bruce Freeman outside his adobe wine cellar at his winery at South Mountain, Ventura County California.
Clos des Amis (pronounced clo desamee) which means circle of friends in French is the passion project (and livelihood!) of long time Ventura County California winemaker, Bruce Freeman and Gretel Meys Compton. They are farmer artisans, literally, as they both are artists and they farm all of their grapes, all vineyards exclusively in Ventura County.
Bruce, whose mother is French, started to make wine in 1994 in Ventura County, and is a firm believer of the potential of Ventura County terroir, an undiscovered wine region in /California.
In 2011 Bruce, with Gretel’s help, officially launched Clos des Amis winery. Their focus is on making new world wines in an old world style from Ventura County vineyards, most which come from the winery’s own South Mountain Vineyards in Santa Paula. Their wine is literally a labor of love in a glass!
Their vineyards are in the Santa Clara River Valley, known for its unique micro climate and agriculture. The South Mountain Vineyards are at a higher altitude overlooking the valley with limestone and diatomaceous soil, with evidence of sea life fossils, as it was underwater many years ago. This gives their wines great minerality which balances nicely with the neutral oak aging that most of their wines go through.
A view of the Clos des Amis vineyards
Winemakers Gretel and Bruce
What People Are Saying
Wine and food journalist’s review of Clos des Amis White Wine
Shop and Support Clos des Amis
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Clos des Amis is in Ventura County California, just north of Los Angeles.
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