Palate

The 2016 Tempranillo is our unabashed Spanish cowboy, so different in flavor and structure from our other wines. It’s built to stand the test of time and needs a healthy decant or aging in your cellar to realize its true potential. Red plum, red cherry and sweet earth round the front upper and lower palate. A bright acidity and varietally-correct structure direct the wine to the back palate. From there, it’s a wild ride of texture shooting off in all directions. Dried tobacco leaf, fig, brown baking spice, vanilla and a hint of cedar linger on the finish.

Growing Conditions

Parentage: 86% Paderewski and 14% Catapult Vineyards

Stomping Grounds: Rocky calcareous an shale west-facing hillsides

Paderewski Vineyard:

Travel just west of Paso Robles, and you will find Paderewski Vineyard: 67 acres of undulating, steep, limestone rich hillsides within 570 rural, spring-fed acres. In the early 1900’s, this vineyard was cherished and farmed by world-renowned pianist, Polish diplomat, and vintner, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Fast forward a century, and this property stood forgotten and fallow. Lucky for us, in 2004, we became the stewards of this amazing piece of property.

Planted: 2004 Acreage: 95 under vine, 570 total Soils: limestone, calcareous, rocky pH: low to mid 8 AVA: Paso Robles District: Willow Creek Red Varietals: Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel White Varietals: Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, and Viognier

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

Bottling

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

Winemaking

Rearing: Fermented in 35% new French oak puncheons, stainless and oak tanks

Aging

Aged 19 months in French oak barrels and puncheons (80% new)