In this episode of Pat Pattison’s Best of California, we head to Fairfield’s Caymus-Suisun Winery—right in the heart of the newly crowned USA Today #1 wine region, Suisun Valley. Join me for an exclusive sit-down with Caymus-Suisun’s Global Ambassador, Chris Vitiello, as we uncork the secrets behind their award-winning wines and learn how this boutique valley outpaced Napa and Paso Robles.
You’ll get an insider’s look at: • A behind-the-scenes tour of Caymus-Suisun’s vineyards and tasting room • Expert notes and recommendations from the ambassador who’s putting Fairfield on the world wine map.
Ready to explore California’s best kept wine secrets and hidden gems? Hit subscribe and ring the bell to catch every episode of Pat Pattison’s Best of California. Leave a comment below with your favorite Suisun Valley varietal and follow us on Instagram @PatPattisonsBest for more behind-the-scenes content and upcoming workshop announcements.
Links and Resources • Visit Fairfield: https://VisitFairfield.com • Caymus-Suisun Winery: https://CaymusSuisun.com • Workshop info & signup: patpattison.com/creative-you-turn Don’t miss next week’s episode where we uncover another hidden gem in California’s wine country—see you there!
Off to the Cissoon Valley, which has
just been named the number one wine
region in the US by USA Today's Tail
Best.
I'm so excited. We're in Fairfield and
I'm at the famous Casoon.
Right. Correct. Yes. Right. And I'm with
Chris. Last name again?
>> Vitiello.
>> Vitello. And what's your title here?
>> I'm Pat Patterson and I love California.
I am the global ambassador.
>> Global ambassador and and so tell me I
know about Cas Napa. Tell me what's
going on here in Fairfield.
>> So we have great things happening here
in Fairfield. So, as you know, when it
came Napa, we're super famous in the
Napa Valley. And then the Wagner were
always looking around the state of
California for other places to farm. And
we've had operations in Monterey. And
then around 2014, we became aware of the
quality of the grapes here right next
door to Napa and the proximity and the
quality and the similarity of of soil
types and weather patterns. It was just
a natural fit for us.
>> Wow. Wow. And and explain to me, you
mentioned an AVA. Tell me what an AVA So
AVA means literally American
viticultural area and those are like
areas that are designated by the state
of California and the United States as
areas that are unique in some way to
produce wine and that and and be
distinct from other areas or a general
California um designation.
>> And and so basically you're saying this
part of Fairfield will always be like
this. It
>> will always be. Wow.
Tell me a little bit about the family.
Multi-generational here here in this
area of Napa right next door over the
ridge and always uh venters always in
the
>> always farmers and he still sees himself
today as a farmer first and the wine
maker second.
>> Okay. In terms of a familyowned and
operated made in California company, you
can't really beat this.
>> Can't really beat it. And people think,
you know, I think that we're that
they're less involved than they are, but
they're here every single day. They're
making wines. They're doing experimental
wines and different grape varieties and
sitting down with us in the tasting room
and tasting it and talking about it out
in the We'll run into them in the
fields.
>> How great. How great.
>> Unbelievable. Who's the architect of
this building? So BCJ was the architects
and they've designed apple stores around
the state.
>> Wow.
>> So this is the main tasting area.
>> Main tasting room.
>> So when people come to this facility,
what are some of the things they can do?
>> So you can just walk in if you want to
do just by the glass and that would be
just in this middle area here and you
can come right up to our tasting bar and
taste any of the wines by the glass. If
you wanted to sit for the full 75minut
tasting experience that you'd book on
talk or call us directly. Yeah,
dedicated wine educator and they would
sit you down and go through the wines in
the family stores.
>> Wow. Do people uh also just walk around?
You take them around. Is it a guided
tour?
>> Uh yeah, I mean we can walk the
property. So any of our wine educators
can walk around the properties and show
them what we have going and going and
growing here. So we try to grow a little
bit of everything that people grow in
the area because Cissoon Valley is a
diverse agricultural region unlike Napa
and Sonoma which are pretty much
monocultures of grapes. So here we try
to plant a little bit of everything
that's going on.
>> I think that's what's so cool about
Fairfield is there's so much diversity
in terms of the agriculture and the
businesses.
>> Everything from olive oil to jelly
beans.
>> Yeah.
>> Where do they grow the jelly? No,
they're not they're not they're not
doing any jelly bean plants.
You were talking about how great a
community it is in terms of the farmer
sharing and and talk about that a
little.
>> Yeah, it really is a close closeknit
kind of small family community and
they'll all get together and share
equipment and and what there's one
winery, Wooden Valley Winery, that does
most of the bottling for everybody and
they're just, you know, you know, you
just let them know when you need to do
it. And at the where you were at the
olive oil place, they press the oil for
everyone in the community. So,
everyone's oil gets done there pretty
much.
>> Well, Chris came soon.
>> Yeah. Thank you.
>> Thank you. You got to come visit this
place in Fairfield sometime soon.
Unbelievable.
