The California Appellation Series 1983

grape growing
The California Appellation Series 1983-2013
Paso Robles
Fueled by visionary grape growers and maverick winemakers, Paso Robles has
transformed from a sleepy cow town to one California’s top wine country destinations.
Christopher Sawyer
Spanish for “The Pass
of the Oaks,” the bucolic city of Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County is
located along Highway 101 at the midpoint between San Francisco and Los
Angeles. In the late 1970s, the sleepy rural community was known for its
sulfur-rich mineral baths, big ranches and cattle grazing in the fields. But
very little was known of its history as a
Editor’s Note:
wine-growing region. In the early 1980s,
To many people in the
that started to change when a group of
wine industry, 1983 was a
spirited wine growers and winery propritypical year for California
etors applied to the Bureau of Alcohol,
wines. But in the history
Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) to make the
books, the year marks the
region an officially certified appellation.
largest concentration of
After the appellation was granted in
appellations granted in the
1983, recognition of the region followed.
state. In this special WBM
Powered by special micro-climates, diverse
series, Christopher Sawyer
soils and unique topography, talented winefollows the birth of these
makers flocked to the region to work with
unique appellations and the the pristine fruit. Over the past 30 years,
accomplishments made in
the name of the appellation has become
these wine-growing regions synonymous with rich, fruity wines and
over the past 30 years.
versatile blends that will not bust the wallets
of thirsty consumers.
O r i g i n a l ly n a me d “ E l P a s o d e R o b l es , ”
In the Vineyards
Currently, there are 26,000 acres of planted vineyards, with a couple thousand
more coming online over the next few years. It’s quite an accomplishment
considering there were only 5,000 acres planted in the early 1980s.
The same is true with the number of bonded wineries in operation, which
has increased from only five in the early 1980s to 25 in 1998 and more
than 200 today. Currently, Paso Robles ranks third behind Napa Valley and
Sonoma County for the largest concentration of wineries for an appellation. According to the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, an estimated
58 percent of Paso Robles winegrapes are sold to wineries outside the area,
making them the secret ingredient in many California wines.
In terms of economic impact, the worth of the wine and winegrapes in the
Paso Robles AVA is estimated at $1.467 billion, employing 7,000 people with
a total payroll of $182 million. This healthy economy—coupled with the
growing list talented winemakers, chefs and artisan food purveyors moving
to the region—has changed Paso Robles from a sleepy appellation to a true
wine country destination within a 30-year period.
48 March 2013 WBM
Christopher Sawyer is a journalist, wine consultant
and sommelier based in Sonoma, California.
The Players
In 1983, the four people who sent the original petition to the BATF were
strong-willed individuals who saw the potential of the region. The leader
of the pack was Gary Eberle, a budding young winemaker who played
football at Penn State and fell in love with wine while studying marine
biology at Louisiana State University. After graduating with a viticulture
and enology degree from University of California at Davis in 1973, Eberle
and his half-brother Cliff Giacobine planted 700 acres of vineyards near the
Paso Robles Airport, four miles east of Highway 101. After the vines came
into production in 1977, they established the Estrella River Winery, the
first large-scale winery in San Luis Obispo County. In the late 1970s, Eberle
began making his own Cabernet Sauvignon and started Eberle Winery in
1983. Today, Eberle is the oldest continuously owned winery in Paso Robles.
According to Eberle, the premise behind starting the appellation was aimed
at developing a new method of cooperative marketing. “At the time, we were
merely trying to find our identity,” he said. “Truthfully, no one knew where
Paso Robles was. Some thought we were based in Texas, others thought we
were trying to sell them wines from Mexico. Based on this need for education
of wine buyers and consumers, we made the decision to build an appellation.
As a group, we wanted to promote the region as a whole.”
The other three people who helped write the petition brought special
skills to the table as well. The first was Tom Martin, a business savvy
investor who co-founded Martin Brothers Winery in 1981. The second was
Herman Schwartz, a visionary grape grower who purchased the 2,500 acre
Rancho Tierra Rejada property 11 miles east of Highway 101 in 1973. After
planting the 520-acre Continental Vineyards (now called Shimmin Canyon
Vineyard), one of the first large-scale production sites in the Paso Robles
area, Schwartz became a leader of sustainable farming practices and helped
start the Paso Robles Wine Festival, an annual event which has become a
big draw for the region.
The third contributor to the formation of the AVA was Victor Roberts,
a promising young UC Davis graduate who took over as winemaker at
Creston Winery in 1982. In 1985, Roberts and his wife Leslie purchased the
first parcel of what would become the Templeton Hills Vineyard, a sweeping
75-acre vineyard located four miles east of Templeton, and eventually started
Victor Hugo Winery in 1997.
Paso Robles
Paso Robles: The Condensed Timeline of Achievement
Gary Eberle introduces the Estrella Syrah clone to California. He was also the first winemaker to produce a 100% Syrah
1975: Winemaker
varietal wine to the United States in 1978.
1983: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms approves the appellation
1985: President Reagan takes the Eberle 1980 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon with him on his historic trip to China.
1994: The first planting of French clones from the Rhône Valley by the Perrin and Haas families at Tablas Creek Vineyards
Justin Vineyards’ iconic Bordeaux-style blend, the 1997 Isosceles, was ranked #6 in the world by Wine Spectator. The wine was also
2000: named
“Best Blended Wine in the World” at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition.
Winemaker Justin Smith’s Saxum 2007 James Berry Vineyard Proprietary Red Wine receives Paso Robles’ first 100-point rating from
2009: Robert
Parker in the Wine Advocate.
“The New Face of California Rhone Reds,” by Jim Laube, an article focused on the big red blends from Paso Robles, is the front cover
2011: story
on the March issue of the Wine Spectator.
50 March 2013 WBM
Terroir Exploration
With warm days typically reaching the mid to upper 90s during the growing
season, and nighttime temperatures dropping 40 to 50 degrees due to cool
maritime air flowing in from the nearby Pacific Ocean, Paso Robles has the
greatest diurnal swing of any California AVA.
The nutrient deficient soils are equally dynamic. On the east side of
Highway 101, the rolling hillsides feature shallow soils primarily composed
of calcareous shale, granite and limestone, also known as mudstone or sandstone. In the southwest, near the smaller York Mountain AVA (also established in 1983), the soils are darker and more fertile due to heavier rainfall.
The western portion of the appellation is highlighted by fractured soils, the
hottest and coldest daytime temperatures and the highest and lowest elevations in the AVA.
With these diverse factors in mind, the original borders were designed to
be inclusive rather than exclusive. Clockwise, the appellation stretches from
the Monterey County border and the arid region around the small town of
San Miguel to the north; to the dry desert-like conditions along the border of
Kern County and Los Padres National Forest to the east; to the small towns of
Templeton and Santa Margarita and the Cresta Grade to the south; and the
rugged foothills of the Santa Lucia Highlands to the west.
We’re Getting Bigger
So You Can Get Better.
The Varieties
Today, more than 40 different grape varieties are planted in the appellation. In the early years, the most widely planted grape was Zinfandel.
With pronounced flavors of ripe red and black fruits, fresh ground pepper
and layers of spice, recent releases of Zinfandel made by Peachy Canyon,
Tobin James, Norman, Sextant, Ridge, Turley, J. Dusi, Cypher and other
producers have gained traction in the marketplace.
In the early 1990s, the area started to become more known for Bordeaux
varieties, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, which now represents an average
of 38 percent of the grapes harvested each year. As a general rule, the Cabernet
Sauvignon- and Merlot-based wines made in the region offer rich, ripe and
opulent fruit flavors, plush mouth-feel and soft tannins that make them
consumer- and restaurant-friendly at a younger age.
One of the leading promoters of Bordeaux varieties in the region was
Justin Baldwin, who founded Justin Vineyards in 1981. “One sip of first
growth Bordeaux, and I knew I had to make my own,” he said. Despite the
tremendous success of his early releases of Isosceles, a complex Bordeauxstyle blend with a core of Cabernet Sauvignon, Baldwin could not put Paso
Robles on his label until 1997, when the appellation was expanded to include
his estate property and other outlying vineyards located in the rugged mountains west of Paso.
In comparison to Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Walla Walla and other
prestigious wine-growing regions in America, the Cabernet Sauvignon-based
wines of Paso Robles have their own unique flavor profiles. Although much
of the region is hot and arid during the day, the drop in temperature at night
helps preserve the acidity of the grapes leading up to harvest. Beyond the ripe
flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, black plum and currant, the wines often
have nuances of anise, cola, black pepper, minerals and tannins that are more
smooth and supple. As a result, the value-priced wines are very approachable and user-friendly upon release, while the premium and ultra-premium
wines are pleasurable to drink with just a little bit of air and are ageworthy.
Once the plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and other Bordeaux
varieties were established in the AVA, the Rhône revolution began to gain
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Paso Robles
The Eberle 1980 Cabernet Sauvignon is the wine Ronald Reagan took
with him on historic trip to China in 1985.
momentum. In 1974, Eberle started developing the Estrella clone of Syrah.
Allegedly from the Chapoutier Vineyards in the Hérmitage region of the
Rhône Valley, the original suitcase cuttings were planted in a test block by Dr.
Harold Olmo at UC Davis. While enrolled in the Viticulture and Enology
program at UC Davis, Eberle secured budwood from the vines before the
block was pulled out to make room for the expansion of Highway 80 to
Davis. After the budwood was propagated by Douglas Meador of Ventana
Vineyards in Salinas Valley, Eberle introduced the clone to California in 1975
and was the first to introduce a 100 percent Syrah varietal wine to the United
States in 1978.
“The clone was all I could get my hands on at the time,” said Eberle. “Back
then, there wasn’t much interest in the varietal and most people thought I
was crazy. But that has certainly changed,” said Eberle, whose 2010 Estate
Syrah ranked #40 in the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list of 2012.
The other significant project to bring immediate legitimacy to the AVA
was the establishment Tablas Creek Vineyard, a unique partnership
between the Perrin family of the famed Chateau du Beaucastel winery in
the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region of the southern Rhône Valley, and Robert
Haas, wine importer and founder of Vineyard Brands. After three years of
52 March 2013 WBM
researching the soils and climate conditions of California, the team
purchased a 120-acre parcel with rare rocky limestone soil on the west
side of Paso Robles in 1989. The first French clones were planted at the
estate in 1994 and the larger plantings began in 1996.
Once established, the commercial grafting program at Tablas Creek
was done in greenhouses on the estate and sold to Bonny Doon,
Beckman, Stolpman, Qupé, L’Aventure, Ridge and other leading
domestic Rhône producers. Today, the grafted Tablas Creek clonal
material is available through Novavine in Sonoma.
“After doing extensive research in wine-growing regions throughout
California, the Perrin family and my dad genuinely believed that
Paso Robles offered the best climate and soil conditions for planting
varieties from the Southern Rhône,” said Jason Haas, a partner and
general manager at Tablas Creek. “It’s very encouraging that so many
other producers are starting to hone in on the virtues of Rhône varietals in Paso Robles and other special appellations in America.”
For white wines, Chardonnay has been the main white grape variety
of the region since the late 1970s, and currently accounts for 8 percent
of the vineyards planted in the AVA. Second in line is Sauvignon Blanc
at 3 percent. Smaller percentages of Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Gris,
Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul are
grown in the region as well.
With such a small piece of the pie versus the red grapes, what does
the future hold for wines made with white grapes in the region? One
of the best test zones for this is French Camp, an extensive 1,700-acre
vineyard located just north of the Temblor Mountains in the southeastern corner of the AVA. Owned by the Miller family of Bien Nacido
Vineyards and Paso Robles Wine Services, the vineyard features 700
acres of 12 different white wine varietals planted on a variety of different soils
and special row orientations. While Chardonnay remains the workhorse,
there has been a noticeable rise in younger blocks of Pinot Gris and aromatic
Rhône varieties planted on the property.
According to vineyard manager Greg Phelan, the later budbreak helps
protect the Rhône varieties from frost damage that Chardonnay faces on the
property. “The Rhône varieties have tougher skin and enjoy growing in this
climate that is similar to that of the Rhône Valley, and the advantage against
frost should not be taken lightly,” said Phelan.
On a smaller scale, there is plenty of room for experimentation as well.
Winemaker Kenneth Volk, who started the Templeton-based Wild Horse
Winery in 1983, has helped bring esoteric varieties to the forefront. After
selling the winery in 2003 to Peak Wines International, a division of Jim
Beam Brands Worldwide, Volk started his new boutique signature brand,
Kenneth Volk Vineyards, in 2004. In addition to his regular releases of
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Volk produces
small lot wines made with heirloom varieties such as Verdelho, Aglianico,
Blaufrankish, Tannat, Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional farmed by Dana
Merrill, proprietor of the sustainably-farmed Pomar Junction Vineyard
located south of Templeton.
“In some cases it works; in others, it’s not as successful,” said Volk. “But if
you don’t try then you’ll never know.”
Innovative Prowess
In the vineyards, there were many lessons learned along the way. In the
1970s and 80s, many of the vines were planted on their own rootstock. But
in most of the newer vineyards, that is no longer the case.
Influenced by the breezy Templeton Gap to the west, Roberts was one of
the first in the region to use rootstock in the 1990s. “When I originally put
new vines on rootstock, I got ridiculed. Now everyone is trying to find the
best rootstock to match up with the types of soil and climate conditions they
are working with in their vineyards,” he said.
Another big change is row direction. According to Steve Lohr of J. Lohr
Vineyards & Wine, row orientation shifted from east/west to north/south in
the 1990s. But as more technology became available, newer plantings have
started shifting towards northeast/southwest over the past decade. “You can
see the age of the vines based on row orientation,” he quipped.
Although they were not part of the original team who applied for the
appellation in 1983, another key winery involved in the rise of Paso Robles
wine production was J. Lohr Vineyards & Wine. After sourcing fruit from the
region since the late 1970s, Jerry Lohr and his son Steve began purchasing
property and planting new vineyards in 1986. With nearly 800,000 cases
of wines made with fruit grown in the appellation, J. Lohr is currently the
largest producer of wines that prints Paso Robles on the label.
“It was all about what wasn’t there,” said Steve Lohr. “With less than 5,000
acres planted there was still so much potential. It was one of the best kept
secrets in the state.”
In recent years, cropping and canopy management has been a hot topic of
discussion. In association with the University of Arkansas, Dr. Justin Morris
(director of food science and engineering at the university) and OXBO
International, French Camp Vineyards is currently testing the mechanized
Morris-Oldridge canopy management system to produce more balanced and
consistent crops. This innovative new system is designed for pruning, shoot
thinning and fruit thinning to adjust crop levels several times during the
growing season (For more information see “Balanced Cropping: Dynamic
Vineyard Management” on page 68). According to Nicholas Miller, the
mechanized system has helped achieve yields of high-quality fruit within 10
percent of the yield goal customized for prestigious clients, including as E&J
Gallo, Constellation Brands and Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines.
“The greatest benefit we can offer customers is high-quality grapes and
the yields they want to work with. Over the past few years we’ve done sideby-side testing with mechanized and hand farming techniques to improve
our farming practices. Through these tests we have gained a lot of confidence in working with more balanced vines thanks to the Morris-Oldridge
system,” said Nicholas Miller, whose family planted the first vines at French
Camp in 1973.
As the acres of vineyards increased, water has become scarce in the region.
On the west side, the wet climate conditions allow many of the vineyards to
be dry-farmed. On the east side, there has been a significant change using
innovative drip irrigation systems to replace overhead sprinklers. Eberle said
the use of drip irrigation and sustainable farming practices has made it 75
percent more cost-effective to farm his vineyards over the past decade.
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In the Cellar
The growing number of gifted winemakers
in the region has lead to spreading of new
technological innovations in the cellar as
well. In 2006, J. Lohr was first in the region
to use the Vaucher-Beguet sorting system
with vibrating tables and nifty air blades
that blows out the lighter fruit, heavier fruit
that’s underripe and the overripe berries that
have become raisins. Today, other producers
are using this system as well.
At Pacific Wine Services, a state-of-theart custom crush and wine storage facility
on the east side of town, the team led by
veteran winemaker Craig Reed has many
toys at its disposal. In addition to using
the updated version of the Vaucher-Beguet
Mistral 140 automated berry sorting system
and the Armbruster RotoVibe destemmer,
they also offer their clients opportunities to
use high tech equipment including crossflow filtration, VA reduction and Velcorin
dosing equipment by Lanxess. The company
also uses a new Bioreactor from Elutriate
Systems to treat their wastewater. “It’s a
very cool way of taking waste and making it
useful,” said Reed.
The barrel programs are evolving too. One of the latest innovations has
been the use of French oak foudres at Tablas Creek. Modeled after the largeformat barrels used for making red wines in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, these
large wooden casks are primarily used for fermenting and aging red wines.
Designed by Seguin Moreau, these 1,200 gallon (4,500 liters) Limousin oak
cuves are equipped with heat exchanging pipes for cooling and warming as
needed. More importantly, these barrels are not just for show.
“We use them because we believe that they’re better for the wines we want
to make. And we’re convinced that our extensive use of these large barrels,
and the focus they put on the fruit and terroir, is a key factor that sets our
wines apart from those of our neighbors,” wrote Robert Haas in an article he
posted on the winery’s award-winning blog page in October 2011.
The Creation of Sub-appellations
Currently, Paso Robles is the largest appellation in California that has not
been subdivided, though that will change soon. After a deep study of the
climate and soil conditions, the region was divided into 11 subdivisions.
With the help of attorney Richard Mendelson, who worked on projects
with Robert Mondavi Wines, Kendall-Jackson, Harlan Estate and many
other prominent wineries, the finished work was the most comprehensive
appellation petition ever presented to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and
Trade Bureau (TTB).
The document also includes a conjunctive labeling law requiring wineries
to print “Paso Robles” along with the name of the sub-appellation on the
label. “Because we are still learning so much about all the unique nuances
of each sub-region in Paso Robles, these smaller appellations have been
designed for the next generations who farm the vineyards in Paso Robles,”
said Lohr.
EXPORTING
WINE?
CERTIFICATES
OF ANALYSIS
Export requirements
High
density
planting at
2,420 plants
per acre of the
Alban clone Syrah
at Treana Vineyards
The Future of the AVA
But rest assured, the movement is far from over. While J. Lohr, Castoro
Cellars and Justin Vineyards are responsible for much of the growth in the
vineyards taking place, the number of smaller boutique brands that produce
less than 5,000 cases is growing as well. In addition to the 200 bonded (type
2) wineries, an Alcoholic Beverage Control report done in the summer of
2012 showed that the number is closer to 270 when you count in the virtual
wineries that now call Paso Robles home.
To further promote the production of superior wines made with Cabernet
Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties grown in the AVA, the Paso Robles
Cab Collective was formed in 2012. Currently, the organization has 10
winery members and a website designed to help spread the word about the
wineries, sponsors and upcoming events. The goal is to grow awareness of
the “appellation’s unique attributes provide perfect conditions to produce
luscious, well-rounded red Bordeaux wines that can compete with like varietals on a global stage.”
Although it is true that Cabernet Sauvignon is still the dominant grape,
it is also hard not to argue that Paso has become the epicenter of Rhône
varieties in the New World. On the other side of the coin, to support the
Rhône varieties grown in the region, vintners of Paso Robles represent 48 of
the 200 memberships to the Rhône Rangers organization; Sonoma County
comes in second with 13. For these reasons, it’s an appellation that needs to
be watched closely by the wine industry as a whole.
According to Eberle, whose winery was visited by 53,000 patrons in 2012,
the key to the achievements so far has been consistency. “What helped us the
most was the concept of critical mass,” he said. “Today, there are so many
wineries in this region making high quality wines on a consistent basis. It’s
a trend that started at the beginning of the 1990s and the number of new
wineries or fine wineries sourcing fruit from the region has increased by 30
to 40 per year. To me that’s a very important requirement for success.” WBM
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