FAQ
Tell me more about your wines
For our initial production year, we’ve decided to focus on two wines: a Condrieu inspired white wine, and a priorat-style blend. We have an Australian red blend in the works, and we’re in the early design phase of a Malbec anchored red wine.
Where can I taste the wine?
You can’t. We don’t have any retail presence and won’t sell to shops or restaurants. You will have to trust us. If the wine isn’t good, we won’t release it. We don’t take your trust for granted. The only way to taste the wine is with someone who got an allocation and wants to share one of their bottles with you. Remember: wine is meant to be shared!
How many people can join? What if I didn’t make the cut?
Depending on whether people choose a 6-bottle or 12-bottle allocation, a couple hundred, at the most. That's not a scarcity pitch — it's just the math of our production size. We'd rather build something real with a small group of people who care about what's in the glass than scale something that stops being worth making. Join us early to secure an allocation. If you didn’t make it in before we reached capacity, join the waitlist and we’ll do our best to get you off the waitlist next year. If all goes well, we’ll double the number of cases available next year.
What’s in my allocation? Can I choose my wine?
Our allocation doesn't work like most wine club subscriptions. No monthly boxes, no endless SKU options, no decisions to agonize over. Just exceptional wine, once a year, chosen for you. Tell us whether you want 6 or 12 bottles, and where in the US to send it to. Our initial allocation will include our first white wine and our first red wine. As we grow and have multiple wines to offer, we may evolve our approach.
Can I get access to large formats?
Not for our first allocation, sorry.
When can I expect to receive my allocation?
We will ground ship your allocation once a year in the fall, when the weather is cooler and the risk of damaging the wine is lower. If you really need to rush order your allocation, talk to us. We may provide that option but it will be more expensive.
When will I be charged for my allocation?
Your payment secures your allocation. The first year, you pay at the time you join. In subsequent years, we’ll unveil the new allocation in the spring. You will have 2 weeks to pay and secure your allocation. If you don’t secure it, we will let someone on the waiting list join instead.
How do I renew my allocation for next year?
As an allocation recipient, you get priority for the next allocation. You’re in until you say otherwise. We’ll reconfirm your allocation size before shipping. At that point, you’ll have a chance to drop out. If you do, we’ll let someone on the waitlist in. If you want back in, you’ll have to join the waitlist at the bottom. You may need to wait for a while to rejoin.
How do I provide feedback on the wine?
Send us a comment on the contact page. We read every message. Or talk to Jeff next time you see him. As a developing production, we are learning the ropes and can use your help to get things right. Feedback is a gift!
How can I follow the making of my wine?
Sign up for winery updates here or follow closclavier on instagram.
We will share harvest updates from Peter, cellar notes as the wine develops, the decisions and surprises that make each year what it is. We hope that this will give you an opportunity to know about your wines before they arrive.
Can I visit the winery?
We’re not large enough to support winery tours yet and probably never will be. However, we’re here to help you discover the Walla Walla region and will be happy to suggest a wine tour itinerary for you.
Who makes the wine?
Jeff defines the target wine profile. Then, he and our winemaker Peter taste comparable bottles and refine its character. Peter has been farming and making wine in Walla Walla since 2007 and around the world before then. He sources the fruit for its features and contributions to the desired taste now and after 20 years of aging. His approach starts in the vineyard and ends with the kind of restraint that's rarer than it should be — native fermentations, no fining, limited racking, and careful blending across barrels and varietals until the wine is more than the sum of its parts. Jeff and Peter regularly taste the barrels together and watch the wine evolve until it reaches perfection.
Where does the fruit come from?
We source selectively from some of the finest sites around Walla Walla — including Andrew's, DuBrul, Boushey, and Crossfire vineyards. We own a vineyard in the Rocks District, but we don't use it as our primary fruit source right now. What matters is finding the best fruit for each wine's target profile, not the most convenient option.
Why those weird wine names?
Jeff has been a VC for 26 years and it’s both an homage and a mockery of the industry to call our wines after common VC terms. The idea was inspired by one of Jeff’s dear friends, and VC legend, Josh Kopelman who suggested over dinner that we name one of our wines “Carried Interest”. We rolled with it, and now have a library of VC names for our upcoming wines.
TLDR: What is Clos Clavier?
A small-production winery in the Walla Walla Valley, made by two people who spent thirty years hunting for exceptional wines before deciding to make their own. We will produce around 160 cases for our initial year — two wines, carefully sourced, globally inspired, and made with as little interference as possible. This is not a side project. It's the thing we've been moving toward for a long time.