The Abbey of New Clairvaux is a monastery and winery in Vina, CA, approximately 15-20 minutes north of Chico on Highway 99.

Occupied by Roman Catholic Trappist monks belonging to the order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, the Abbey features approximately 300 acres of prune and walnut orchards and 13 acres of vineyards formerly owned by Leland Stanford, which are tended to primarily by the monks themselves. The Abbey's reputation as a winery has been rapidly growing in the region for the past several years as the monks have ventured to utilize their vineyards to produce a variety of red and white wines, all of which have proven to be a valuable commodity for financially sustaining the Abbey. The Abbey is a great afternoon day trip with the kids; there are orchards and lanes to explore. There are many release dates and other functions to which the public is invited, the dates and times can be found on the winery's website listed above.

The Abbey is in the process of reconstructing the 800+ year old chapter house from the Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria de Ovila in Spain. Originally the Chapter House was a part of the monastery which had been built in the year 1181. In 1931, William Randolph Hearst purchased many parts of the monastery, including the stones that comprised the Chapter House, with the intention of using the stones to build himself a castle. However, his plans never came to fruition and the stones were abandoned in San Francisco for several decades. In the mid 1990's, the monks from New Clairvaux were able to procure the stones that formed the old Chapter House and in 2003 ground was broken for the reconstruction of the ancient structure. When completed, the Chapter House will be one of the oldest structures in the Western Hemisphere.

The Winery is a for profit joint venture that the Monastery is using to help support themselves. There are tours of the wine cellar and tastings most weekends.

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2008-07-27 19:20:02   Excellent Wine —76.236.24.8