Palate

A wine unto itself, the 2016 Mourvèdre cannot be held to any definition of variety. Thought-provoking and full of energy, this single bottling brings to the forefront fruit, spice and minerality. Ripe pluot (plum + apricot), rhubarb, blueberries, sassafras and roses combine with a mouthwatering salinity, wet earth & stone, white pepper and fresh oak forest. This wine is so interesting now; it will be exciting to see how it evolves with age.

Growing Conditions

Parentage: 100% Catapult Vineyard

Stomping Grounds: One rocky shale west-facing slope

Catapult Vineyard:

Directly in the heart of the Paso Robles’ Templeton Gap, near the acclaimed L’Aventure and Booker Vineyards, sits our Catapult Vineyard. In 2008 we came across 45 barren acres of extreme rocky soils packed with silicious shale and little limestone content. Just the type of soils we love; soils that encourage the vines to struggle while finding nourishment deep within the ground. The reward of this hardworking vine are berries packed with wicked complexity and intense flavors.

Though barely three miles from our Paderewski Vineyard, the pH level at Catapult Vineyard is in the high 5’s. A nice complement to the dirt over at “Rewski”. This pH difference, coupled with the cooler mesoclimate at Catapult allows for different flavor profiles from the fruit produced.

Planted: 2008 Acreage: 28 under vine, 45 total Soils: shale, clay, silt, rocky pH: high 5s AVA: Paso Robles District: Willow Creek Red Varietals: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Tempranillo White Varietals: Grenache Blanc,Roussane, and Viognier

Harvest

September 26, 2016

Bottling

Graduation: Bottled May 24, 2018| Debut: Released Fall 2019

Winemaking

Rearing: Fermented in concrete tank

Aging

Aged 18 months in French oak mid-sized barrels and puncheons (31% new)