Vina Robles Spring 2020 Newsletter

n e w s l e t t e r SPRING 2020

Inside this

ISSUE 3 A Note from Hans-R. Michel 4 Featured Wine 5 New Release 6 In the Vineyard 7 In the Cellar

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DEAR FRIENDS, I sincerely hope this letter finds you and yours safe and well, as we find our way through these uncertain times. The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted every one of us, and in ways we’ve not experienced before; “unprecedented” seems to be an understatement.

I would like to share a quick outline of how Vina Robles is currently conducting business— all is of course subject to change: • Firstly, the health and well-being of our employees and their families is of the utmost importance; we have instituted all recommendations made by both the CDC and the California Governor’s office.

• Our administration and marketing teams have been set up to efficiently work from home.

• Members of the wholesale staff are busy filling orders, due in large part to sales volume in grocery and liquor stores.

• We are grateful that our winemaking and viticulture employees are allowed to continue their important work. All safety guidelines are being adhered to, in both the cellar and the vineyard.

• Our Amphitheatre team continues to prepare for the 2020 season. In partnership with our promotor, Nederlander Concerts, we are making show and schedule adjustments as they become necessary.

• The hospitality staff continues to fill both phone and online orders, and to manage our wine club. Our $1 shipping special will stand until further notice.

Springtime is traditionally a time of new beginnings and the positive expectation of new things to come. Although muted by the shadow of the novel coronavirus, this spirit continues to shine here and there. I see it in our vineyards as the new buds break through, and in good deeds offered by neighbors in our local communities. I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy a little of this light during this difficult time.

Stay safe, Hans-R. Michel

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FEATURED WIN

Featured Wine

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2017 ZINFANDEL Zinfandel is the heritage grape variety of Paso Robles, with local roots that extend back to the 19th century.

We have accordingly embraced Zinfandel as a mainstay in our family of wines and as a variety that excels in our estate vineyards. The 2017 comes not only from our Pleasant Valley and Huerhuero vineyards, but also from a small block of head-pruned Zinfandel vines grown at the Hospitality Center. In the winery, various pump-over techniques were employed during fermentation to enrich the mouthfeel and enhance fruit extraction. The wine was then aged for 20 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. The result is a wine that embodies the very best Paso Robles Zinfandel.

TASTING NOTES The 2017 Zinfandel opens with bold, brambly aromas of raspberry, boysenberry and toasted oak. A deep, velvety texture delivers ripe flavors of blackberry, black cherry, cedar, coffee and chocolate with sweet vanilla notes. Hints of spice and juicy acidity linger in the smooth, supple finish.

PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS Enjoy this exuberantly flavored Zinfandel with comfort foods such as Santa Maria-style tri-tip, barbecued chicken, pasta Bolognese and grilled sausages.

2019 SAUVIGNON BLANC JARDINE VINEYARD

Sauvignon Blanc excels amid warm, sunny conditions and our Paso Robles climate happily obliges. Each year, our Sauvignon Blanc fruit is among the first to come off the vine—a testament to its early-ripening nature. The resulting fruit exhibits beautiful varietal character with ripe yet balanced flavors.

Our 2019 Sauvignon Blanc comes exclusively from a small, sandy-gravelly block at our estate Jardine Vineyard, where the porous soils keep the variety’s natural vigor in check. This wine was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve its fresh aromatics, then aged on the lees in stainless steel for an enhanced mouthfeel.

The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc offers brilliant floral aromas of nectarine, guava and passionfruit with notes of flint and lime zest. The palate is crisp and clean, showing flavors of stone fruits and pear with suggestions of grapefruit and ginger. Brisk acidity adds energy to a smooth, mouthwatering finish. This is a perfect wine for the light fare and warming weather of springtime.

TECHNICAL NOTES AGING: BOTTLING DATE: RELEASE DATE: ALCOHOL:

STAINLESS STEEL MARCH 4, 2020 APRIL 1, 2020 12.5%

NEW RELEAS

New Release

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In The Vineyard with Vineyard Operations Manager Carter Collins

The advent of springtime is unmistakable in our estate vineyards. It seems that one moment we are finishing up with winter pruning, and the next moment the vines are budding out with the first green growth of the season.

Personally, I love the pruning season, because it represents a fresh start. We cut back the vines just right, setting them up for balanced growth in the months ahead. We repair any vine stakes or trellis wires that may have been knocked askew during the hectic harvest action. There’s a sense of pride when it’s finished; the vineyards look clean and ready, with everything in its proper place.

Once the vines undergo bud break starting in mid to late March, the game changes.

As the weather begins to warm up, the vines awaken and these buds break open, revealing tender shoots. By harvest time, these shoots will have grown into long, woody canes laden with grape clusters.

Bud break typically starts with white varieties such as Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, then continues into April before concluding with red Bordeaux varieties such as Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bud break is also a time of heightened sensitivity—both for the vines and the winegrower! Spring in Paso Robles may bring warmer afternoons, but the mornings can still be chilly, and even freezing. When temperatures dip below 32 degrees, the new vine growth can be susceptible to frost burn, especially in lower parts of the vineyards where the coolest air settles.

Thankfully, significant frost events are relatively few and far between. It is something that worries us, but usually everything turns out just fine.

After budbreak, we await “flowering,” which comes in May. This is the moment when the flowers on the tiny new clusters open up and self-pollinate, setting the crop for the upcoming harvest. We always want calm, steady weather during flowering.

So what will the 2020 growing season bring? It is hard to predict—but I can definitely say that what happens in the vineyard this spring will greatly shape the new vintage to come.

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In The Winery

with Winemaker Kevin Willenborg

Bottling is the last step in the winemaking journey— and while it may not get as much glory as the harvest season, it is equally crucial to do it just right.

In fact, like harvest, the bottling process requires considerable planning and rigorous attention to detail.

Labels and boxes need to be designed and printed, while glass, capsules and corks need to be ordered well in advance. And everything needs to go like clockwork to ensure that all of these supplies are on target and on time for the appointed bottling date.

“The hardest thing about bottling is the preparation, which starts up to nine months before you actually bottle the wine,” says Winemaker Kevin Willenborg. “We are very vigilant about making sure everything comes together smoothly, but even so, we can be vulnerable to forces beyond our control.”

For example, Kevin recently had to briefly delay the bottling of our 2019 Sauvignon Blanc due to a hiccup in the delivery of the Stelvin screwcap closures. The closures themselves were readily available, but the blue ink used on the closures—a visual signature of our Sauvignon Blanc package—originates from France, and the availability of that ink was delayed due to that country’s labor strikes in December.

“It was not a huge deal, but it shows how the simplest little thing can disrupt your best-laid plans,” Kevin says. “You start with Plan A, but when it comes to bottling, you had better have a Plan B, too.”

Additionally, each wine needs special winemaking attention to prepare it for bottling.

For example, our white wines are cold stabilized, which is the process of chilling down the wine in order to precipitate natural tartrates out of the liquid—ensuring that it does not happen in the bottle when you place the wine in your refrigerator. Many of our wines also have to be blended prior to bottling.

Bottling typically begins in February with aromatic whites from the preceding vintage; we have just bottled most our 2019 whites as of this writing. Our 2019 Chardonnay will follow later this spring along with the 2018 vintage of our milder reds such as The Arborist. Finally, we will bottle our boldest 2018 reds—such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah—this summer.

“It is very gratifying to put a finished wine in the bottle after shepherding it along for many months or even years,” Kevin says. “After all of that work and planning, it is finally time for everyone to enjoy what we have created—including me the team!”

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ABOUT VINA ROBLES Growers and makers of expressive, approachable estate wines from Paso Robles, California, Vina Robles owns and farms six estate SIPÂŽ Certified Sustainable vineyards in five sub-districts in the region. First class hospitality service is offered by way of unique, memorable experiences with wine, food and music at their core. The vineyards & winery are owned and managed by two Swiss families who have been farming winegrapes in Paso Robles for more than 20 years.

1200 Priska Drive, Paso Robles, CA 93446 805-227-4812 VinaRobles.com