The Clarice Wine Company founder and winemaker is never short on opinions and is not afraid to share them.
Adam Lee has spent more than three decades making Pinot Noir, and he isn’t afraid to challenge conventional wisdom along the way. Best known as the co-founder of Siduri Wines, which he launched in 1994, Adam has built an expanding portfolio of wine projects, including Clarice Wine Company and other fun labels such as Babs and Dial Tone.
In this lively conversation with the Marys, he takes us back to the beginning of his wine career, from working in wine retail to making his first 107 cases of Pinot Noir with just $24,000 in savings. He also shares the story of getting the first vintage of Siduri Pinot Noir into the hands of Robert Parker, and what happened next.
Adam talks about his long-standing relationships with the Pisoni and Franscioni families in the Santa Lucia Highlands, the inspiration behind Clarice and his approach to making wines that are both high quality and accessible. He also explains his unconventional wine club model – it’s certainly not like traditional wine clubs.
True to form, Adam doesn’t shy away from some of the wine industry’s more contentious subjects, including residual sugar, “natural” and “clean” wines and ingredient transparency.
Finally, we talk about the future of wine, attracting younger consumers, and what Adam hopes his legacy will be.
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Wines tasted in this episode:
•2024 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir, Rosella’s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County
• 2024 Clarice Wine Company Pinot Noir, Garys’ Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County
• 2024 Babs Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County
• 2024 Busy Signal Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills. Find the 2025 vintage here.
• 2024 Etienne Essen Red Wine, Lirac, France
• 2025 Morét-Brealynn Rosé of Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County