Family

The beginning of Caelesta.

Caelesta is a serendipitous union of family, love for wine, and the goal to create a sustainable farm for generations to come. Brian Sr. and Denise's love for wine, family trips to wine regions, and a hobby vineyard in Ventura County sparked younger Brian’s interest at an early age. After studying Finance at USC and Agricultural Science at Oregon State, he took a lab position back down in Santa Barbara County. It was there he discovered his love for the Paso Robles area and its potential to create world renowned wines. 

In 2015, the family found a piece of raw land in the Templeton Gap AVA with incredible views of the night sky, which inspired the name Caelesta, Latin for "celestial" or "of the heavens.” The marine influence, Linne-Calodo complex soils, and multitude of planting aspects made it a dream opportunity. 

 Over the next two years we worked with Coastal Vineyard Services to design and plant the property without needing to remove any trees, leaving the natural oak woodlands intact. 

With the property underway, Brian Farrell Jr continued his career working harvest and gaining experience from Epoch, Jada, Aaron Wines, and even Two Hands in Australia. He brought that knowledge and expertise with him as the Caelesta label began in 2017. 

Brian Jr. sought out some of the highest quality fruit in the area to get our feet wet making wine as we waited for Caelesta vineyard to come online, with the first estate vintage harvested in 2019. 

With the release of our first estate wines, it has been exciting to see  that friends and critics share our passion for the wine produced from this special location. We are also thrilled that fruit from our vineyard continues to be purchased by other local wineries such as Benom, Aaron Wines, Herman Story, and AllBaer.

Caelesta remains a family affair. Harvest season will find Brian Sr. in the cellar continuing his forklift internship and Denise in the tasting room pouring wine with that endearing enthusiasm while Brian Farrell Jr. manages bin after bin, pumpover after pumpover, and barrel after barrel in the cellar while orchestrating it all.

We are looking forward to the future as the vineyard comes into its own. Each year we learn more as the various blocks of fruit develop. We aim to continue producing exceptional wines that showcase a sense of place as well as the terrior that is Caelesta.