2014 Holiday Newsletter

Letter from the President

Happy Holidays! 

This holiday wine collection is a beauty!  I hope you enjoy these wines with family and friends over the course of the next few weeks and months!  Sharing it is what makes wine special as much as the wine itself.

Quickly, I want to take a moment to mention the Paso Robles Wine Region continues to grow and bring in investment in wineries and vineyards.  It leads to the other topic in this newsletter, the new Sub-AVA’s of Paso.  We have 11 newly designated districts.  More details on this page from a media release of the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.

Paso Robles has approximately 60 different wine grapes growing in its 610,000 acres.  Being able to delineate where certain grapes grow better is going to further improve the quality of the wines we are able to find for you!  We really have been able to find the regional variations and send the best of those to you in all of our shipments.   This current one is no different; we hope you enjoy them all!

With Best Wishes for a Happy Holiday’s and a Merry Christmas,

Cheers!

Excerpts from a media release by the PRWCA October 2014.

11 NEW VITICULTURAL AREAS
Districts Recognize Diversity While Still Preserving the Greater Paso Robles Brand

These new AVAs are based on meso-climactic, geological, and historical information which highlight each individual district to be unique as a winegrape growing area. The 11 AVAs are as follows: Adelaida District, Creston District, El Pomar District, Paso Robles Estrella District, Paso Robles Geneseo District, Paso Robles Highlands District, Paso Robles Willow Creek District, San Juan Creek District, San Miguel District, Santa Margarita Ranch, and the Templeton Gap District.

AVA labeling provides information to consumers and trade about what is in the bottle, helping them make a better informed buying decision based on expectations of the region. Thanks to a conjunctive labeling law spearheaded by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance in 2007, the Paso Robles AVA retains top billing on a wine label with the individual districts serving as a way to fine-tune location and potential character of wines. While Paso Robles wineries are not required to use the sub-region on the label, when they do, Paso Robles will be printed with equal or more significance.

The petition for the 11 new AVAs was filed in the spring of 2007 by the specially formed Paso Robles AVA Committee. A group of 59 vintners and growers, with the assistance of experts in a variety of fields, methodically crafted the submission with science as its standard. The petition proved to be the single largest AVA proposal ever filed with the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) due to the scale and scientific data assembled to substantiate the request.

Ancient Peaks Winery Begins in the Vineyard!

Our estate Margarita Vineyard enjoys optimal growing conditions for Petit Verdot, resulting in a wine that exhibits a pure expression of the varietal, including intense color, racy flavors and fresh natural acidity. To craft this limited-edition wine, we selected exemplary barrels from the 2010 vintage to offer a rare showcase for the varietal. This Petit Verdot belongs to our White Label series, which signifies small lots of the highest quality expressed through alternative varietals and unconventional blends.  The 2010 Petit Verdot comes from Block 44 at our estate Margarita Vineyard. Block 44 is a small northeast-facing block planted to two clones along a ribbon of sandstone and rocky shale—a soil profile that fosters a firm texture and vivid varietal fruit quality in the resulting wine. For this bottling, we selected fruit from only the steepest part of the block, where low yields provide natural flavor intensification. Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles AVA, nestled into the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain Range just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The mountains tower over the property’s western flank, testaments to the tectonic forces that blessed Margarita Vineyard with a rare diversity of soils. The peaks also act as a gateway between the cool marine air to the south and warm inland conditions to the north. This phenomenon creates one of the coolest growing environments in the Paso Robles region. The result is a long growing season that, coupled with Petit Verdot’s penchant for late ripening, yields a wine with exotic aromas and beautiful structure.  Our aim is to craft a Petit Verdot that is inherently dark, complex and thoughtful in scope. To achieve this vision, we aged the wine for 22 months in French oak barrels from a range of different coopers. One type of barrel leans more toward vanilla components and another contributes mid-palate tannin, while another lends smokiness—all building complexity into the wine. In 2010, the fruit was hand harvested at Block 44 on November 5 after a long growing season. After gentle destemming, the wine was fermented in small open-top bins. The must was manually punched down three times daily for balanced extraction. After gentle pressing, the wine was racked to barrels for aging. A small lot of Cabernet Franc from Margarita Vineyard was incorporated into the final blend for aromatic freshness and an enhanced red fruit profile. In order to capture the fruit’s inherent textural qualities, the wine was not filtered prior to bottling.  The 2010 Petit Verdot offers deep aromas of black cherry and black currant with hints of lavender and pencil shavings. A high-toned texture unfolds with a brambly melding of red and black fruits, all carried elegantly by a core of fresh acidity. Intriguing notes of black tea, oak and mineral linger on a clean, focused finish. 2013 Chardonnay Margarita Vineyard

Chardonnay from Paso Robles is a bit of an anomaly because it’s a varietal that excels in cool growing environments. Well, our estate Margarita Vineyard is also a bit of an anomaly. It’s the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles region, located 14 miles from the ocean and just over the hill from the Edna Valley, which is  known as one of California’s premier Chardonnay appellations. Equally important, our Chardonnay comes from Block 26, one of Margarita Vineyard’s coolest spots. The result is something you might not expect—a deliciously authentic Chardonnay with Paso Robles on the label.  In fact, we’re so proud of this Chardonnay that we gave it our White Label designation, signifying a reserve level wine.

Paso Robles Wine Country Events           

New Year's Eve "Glow In the Park"

Wednesday, December 31, 2014 - 4:00am to Thursday, January 1, 2015 - 12:00am

Paso Robles Downtown City Park

1100 Spring Street

Paso Robles

8 p.m. to Midnight Paso Robles City Park
Free Admission and Parking

Join us on New Year’s Eve for a family-friendly event and a park full of free activities, all glow in the dark, followed by fun surprises, all to celebrate the end of our quasquicentennial year! 

Glow in the dark activities include:

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January is Restaurant Month!

Indulge in San Luis Obispo County Restaurant Month, starting January 2, 2015*! Participating restaurants will offer special prix-fixe menus ranging from 2-4 courses at $30-$40 per person.

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​Esprit Du Vin

Saturday, January 17^th, 2015

6:30pm – 8:30pm

Le Vigne Winery

Come and celebrate the spirit of the wine with the Wineries of 46 East!

~ Bianchi ~ Brochelle ~ Broken Earth ~ Eberle ~ Eos ~ Le Vigne ~ Mitchella ~ Robert Hall ~ San Antonio ~ Tobin James ~ Villa San-Juliette ~ Vina Robles ~

Wines will be expertly paired with different gourmet cheeses. Gourmet olives, olive oils, small bites, desserts and more will be served by local chefs & artisans. Live music, too!

Tickets: $35 per person, $60 per couple.

The Wineries of 46 East

805.227.4000

2015 Paso Robles Rhone Rangers Experience
Broken Earth Winery
Sunday, February 15th, 2015
Seminar and Luncheon 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM (Silent Auction Preview 10:00am-10:30am)
Grand Tasting and Silent Auction 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM

February 21^st 2015 Blendfest on the Coast & Pacific Coast Wine Trail Passport Weekend

Best Western Cavalier San Simeon, Call for details and shuttle information.

March 20 – 22  Vintage Paso (was previously known as ZinFest)

Robert Hall Grenache with Duck Breast

Ingredients:                                                                           Sauce:

2 Duck Breasts                                                                     ½ cup orange liqueur

Salt and pepper to taste                                                        ¼ cup white wine vinegar infused w/orange zest

Zest of one orange                                                                ¼ cup soy sauce

                                                                                                1 teaspoon dried sage

Ising a sharp knife, sclore the sin o fthe duchk breasts diagonally to create ¾ inch-wide diamond pattern; pat dry then season with salt and pepper.  Heat a heavy skillet over high heat.  Place duck breasts in skillet skin side down and cook until skin is a deep golden brown – about 8 minutes.  Turn duck over; cook aboiut 3 minutes for medium rare. Transfer breasts to bakingseet and place in over preheated to 250F to keep warm

Pour all but 2 talespoons of the drippings from the skillet.  With heat set to medium high, pour orange liqueur or brandy into pan and scrape up the browned bits.  Add vinegar and soy sauce to the pan and bring to a full boil for 2 minutes stirring  occasionally.  Add sage, salt, and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer until juices are reduced b half. 

Slice duck breasts and drizzle with orange saucesand zest prior to serving.

Recipe by Lisa Pretty, EatThisWith.com

Ancient Peaks Chardonnay with Dijon-Thyme Marinated Chicken Skewers

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Ingredients:                                                              Dijon-Thyme Marinade

8 boneless and skinless breasts, cubed                 1/2  cup rose or dry white wine

Salt and Pepper to taste                                           1/3  cup Dijon mustard

                                                                                    1 shallot, minced 

                                                                                    2-3 cloves garlic minced 

                                                                                    juice from 1 lemon 

                                                                                    1/ 2  tsp dry thyme

                                                                                    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 

                                                                                    1/ 2  tsp smoked paprika 

                                                                                    1/ 4  cup extra virgin olive oil

                                                                                    1/ 2  tsp sugar 

                                                                                    1 tsp salt

Dijon-Thyme Marinade Instructions:

Place chicken and marinade in a shallow dish; mix until well coated. Marinate no more than 1 hour.  Remove chicken from the marinade and skewer on wooden or metal skewers; bake or grill until done. Sprinkle with fresh chopped thyme and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving. 

Serve with rice or roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well mixed.

                  

Prep Time: 15 minutes, 4 hours to marinate                         Cook Time: 30 minutes

Cheers!