WINTER 2009


4 5


BEHIND THE VINE


Behind The Vine with Viticulturist Sukhy Sran The wine harvest is a bit like college football. When the football season begins, it seems pretty easy to predict who will come out on top. But by the end, there’s always an unpredictable twist that keeps it interesting. The same goes with grapes. We know what a “normal” harvest season looks like on


paper, but “normal” is more of an idea than a reality in the vineyard. Sometimes the grapes come off the vine a little earlier than usual. This year, they were late, trailing the average by about two weeks, thanks to a relatively mild summer and a cooler start to September. We actually like the grapes to have extra time to hang on the vine, as it tends to result


in better overall balance in the fruit, so the long growing season this year should result in excellent quality. We picked some early ripeners in mid September, such as Petite Sirah. But most of


our varieties needed more time. Toward the end of the month, however, a blast of hot days put us back into high gear. Now, as I write, we are turning the corner into October, and the harvest is fully underway. The only downside to a later start is the fact that the harvest becomes a bit compressed. In other words, the grapes have a shorter window of time in which to come off the vine. That’s fine for the grapes, but for those of us picking and processing them, it can be rather exhausting. But, as always, we will rise to the occasion and get the job done, even if it requires a little less sleep and a lot more coffee than a “normal” harvest.


THE ART OF THE BLEND


In a recent story showcasing the success of blended wines in Paso Robles, Steve Heimoff of the Wine Enthusiast wrote, “You’ll find blended wines throughout California, but Paso Robles is the only major region that’s chosen to specialize in them…In Paso, the art of the blend is the name of the game.” At Vina Robles, we are proud to be one of several local wineries blazing new trails with blends, from our limited-edition Cuvée Collection wines to our affordable Red4 White4


blends. Our red blends begin in the vineyard, with Winemaker Matthias Gubler and his


team identifying specific vineyard blocks for each blend prior to harvest. For example, a specific block of Petit Verdot at our estate Huerhuero Vineyard will be designated in advance for our Signature blend, and will be farmed accordingly. Each designated block is harvested and crafted separately through fermentation and


initial aging. The following summer, Matthias and his team conduct a thorough tasting of each lot, deciding which will make the cut for final blend consideration. Initial blending trials begin the following spring, and the blends are carefully finalized over the next several months. Matthias’ mission is always to ensure that the sum of the blend is greater than its


parts. “We do not want to hide or ‘overwrite’ a particular variety. We want the varieties to accentuate and ultimately improve each other. ” Each blend also begins with its own stylistic vision. For example, our Suendero is more


of a traditional Bordeaux-style blend, while our Signature takes a more unconventional path, showcasing Petit Verdot in tandem with other varieties. As for why Paso Robles has become an epicenter for blends, Matthias says that the phenomenon is as much cultural as geographical. “Ten years ago, there weren’t many believers in blends,” he says. “Since then, several winemakers have shown just how successful blends can be, and that has inspired others to make their own. The result is that blends are now a driving force in the Paso Robles winemaking community.”


and


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7