Cloak & Dagger Wines
Get the Dirt from Ray Schofield - 10 Years Later
“We chose a vineyard in Templeton in the Paso AVA because we love the pioneering spirit of the wine industry in this area. For logistical reasons, we like the fact that it’s almost exactly half way between LA and San Francisco. Also, Templeton is a quiet, unassuming little place. Nobody would suspect that world changing forces are at work here. By the time they realize, it will be too late. Enough about that, though.”
Q. How much have you grown in ten years?
A. Until this vintage, we hovered around an average of about 500 cases per year. All of our wine has traditionally been sold through our wine club, website and a handful of restaurants and 500 cases was always a comfortable number. We sold out each vintage just in time for the next and didn't have to stick our necks out too far with respect to cash flow. We could probably have grown faster but our focus has always been the quality of the wine and having fun with the brand. In May 2021we opened our tasting room in downtown Paso and it has been quite literally a game changer. Sales volume shot up so dramatically that we increased production to about 1500 cases for the 2021 vintage. The only downside (if you can call it that) is that we have always loved being that mysterious, secretive operation making impossible to find wines. Now that we have emerged from the shadows, it’s harder to be quite as intriguing. We will certainly do our best continue that tradition though!
Q. How have your wines been received?
A. We feel our wines have been very well received and we are extremely grateful for that. We have won numerous gold medals and have had some very positive press. The last vintage that we submitted for review was 2018 and all the wines in the line up scored 93 points and up. Scores and good reviews are great confidence builders but the real gratification is the feedback we get from our customers. Our wine club keeps growing and we have very little attrition, which is obviously a good sign that we are doing something right. The greatest feeling of gratitude is when guests have an excellent experience in the tasting room, complement us on the wines and take a box home with them. That feels like mission accomplished.
Q. Has your winemaking style or philosophy changed over the years?
A. I think our style has changed somewhat. When we started out, the big, “fruit bomb” wines were what everyone seemed to be coming to Paso for. We have certainly made our share of those but we we have gradually been moving toward more food friendly, Bordeaux style blends. Balance is what we strive for. At one point we made the decision to step away from Zinfandel completely but the demand was just too great. We gave in and because we switched sides on the issue, we named our big fruity Zin “The Defector” It’s still one of our fastest sellers. Also, we have only made reds since our inaugural 2009 vintage but for 2019, we released our first white, an Albariño we named Espía (the Spanish word for spy) Espía has been a huge hit and we will be it following up with a Sauvignon Blanc and a Rosé, both to be released in early 2022.
Q. How has the Garagiste Festival affected you?
A. The Garagiste Festival was the first festival - or wine event of any kind - that we ever participated in. It was a huge success for us and a massive confidence builder. Garagiste attendees are genuinely interested in wine and winemakers. The guests loved not only the wines but also our branding. We sold wine and we had a blast! For the 10 year period that we had no tasting room, wine events were the main way we expanded awareness. The Garagiste Festivals have been by far the most successful events for us as well as the most fun. We have participated in every Garagiste Event since the very first. The Paso event and the spin-off events in Solvang and LA have all been instrumental in creating awareness, building our brand and growing our wine club. Now that we are on the cusp of exceeding the 1500 case limit required to be a legit Garagiste, this years festival might possibly be our last. If so, it’s bitter sweet but it’s good to know that we will be freeing up a spot for another unknown, up and coming winery. We hope they will have as much fun and success as we have had for the last 10 years of participating in these great events.
Q. What’s the most important thing that you know now that you didn’t know when you first started?
A. Due diligence is prudent but following your gut is paramount.
Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
A. We have already said too much.
For more information, please visit their website at www.cloakanddaggerwines.com.