Welcome to the new Vina Robles blog. This is an exciting endeavor for us, and I would like to use this entry to offer a few words about a subject that will appear frequently here within: Terroir.

Terroir is a European concept—and, more specifically, a French concept—which considers that the totality of a vineyard’s environs indelibly define the character of wine produced from that vineyard. Furthermore, at least theoretically, one wine can be distinguished from another based upon the impact that a vineyard’s terroir has had. In actuality, this only really holds true for the best of terroirs—what the French would call a “grand terroir”—and isn’t the case for lesser terroirs—“petit terroir”—or for wines produced from multiple vineyards. (Regional blends can show a sort of macro-terroir, but it really shouldn’t be considered as terroir in the truest sense of the term—and is certainly a topic for another blog entry.)

So, we’ve established that terroir leaves a distinguishing mark upon a wine; that there are better and worse terroirs; and that, at least according to the French understanding of the concept, terroir is defined by the natural environs of the vineyard—by natural environs we typically mean the soil, sun, slope, aspect and micro-climate of a vineyard. What we haven’t considered is the impact that humans have on a vineyard’s terroir. Clearly, the methods by which a vine is cultivated can have a profound effect on the character of the grapes it produces. For example, discing and cultivation can create a compacted but warm soil, leading to an earlier harvest and often times a riper style of wine. Permanent ground cover—native grasses, mulch or a planted cover crop—tends to reflect sunlight and heat, maintaining a more even and a cooler soil temperature; creates a looser, better aerated soil (counter-intuitive, but true); and can cause later harvests and a more refined style of wine. Likewise, decisions in the winery can have a marked impact upon the wine produced—and can sometimes even obscure the character of the vineyard. (We’ve all tasted over-ripe or over-oaked wines. Usually they are delicious, but rarely do they reflect the nature of a vineyard.)

Meanwhile—and at least to my thinking—the most stunning impact that humans can have upon a terroir is by way of the personality of those involved in the operations of the vineyard and winery. I’ve often had wines that are naturally made in every way, are fine representations of their growing conditions, but ring hollow, lacking any real personality. They simply don’t reflect the character of those involved. At Vina Robles, the goal has always been—yes, of course—to produce wines that reflect the vineyards from which they are produced, but also wines that are a product of the unique cast of characters involved. We are an incredibly diverse and international group—Swiss, French, American, Australian—and I believe that the wines do clearly demonstrate this with their combination of European balance and New World brashness. I’m often told that the wines we produce show a disarming mix of polish and power. And that is who we are: A sense of clarity that is definitively Old World and more than a small nod to the “devil may care,” “Wild West” attitude that is the soul of Paso Robles.

As I like to say about wines that excite me, there is truly a “there there.” European Inspiration/California Character is more than a simple marketing slogan at Vina Robles. It is the very soul of our terroir.

N.D.

What a ride the 2010 harvest was!  The year started with a very wet winter, as we received above average rainfalls  in Paso Robles after three years of drought.  This provided excellent leaching of the soil; a process that pushes the salts in the soil away from the grapevine roots, where they can no longer be taken up and absorbed by the vines.

The weather remained mild during the months of berry set.    Together with the extra amount of moisture in the soils o f the vineyards, our vines were able to hang slightly above average amounts of fruit.  The summer temperatures were below the norm, providing cooler days than in most years.  In late summer, we were about 400 growing degree days below the previous 12-year average.  However, some high temperatures above 100ºF in late August provided us with a good start for harvesting our whites.

The 2010 Vina Robles harvest officially started on the night of September 9, about 2 weeks later than usual.  All our grapes are hand-picked during the night for quality reasons so that the winery team will receive the cool fruit at 6:00 a.m. in the morning.  The first variety brought in was Viognier from our estate Huerhuero Vineyard.  This variety turned out exceptional, with unique characteristics that warranted an individual bottling.  Viognier was followed by Sauvignon Blanc, Verdelho and Vermentino - the grapes for our WHITE⁴ blend.

                                                          
                                                           Viognier Harvest, Huerhuero, 09/09/10

Another heat spike during the last week of September gave a ripening boost to the varieties that crave heat, such as Syrah.  First, we brought in Syrah from our Huerhuero Vineyard, followed by Syrah from Ryan Road Vineyard.  Shortly thereafter we were able to pick Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon and things started to become hectic for our vineyard and winery teams.  Unfortunately, light rain during the first week of October put a short halt on harvest, which at this point was about 1/3 complete.  Rain is always unwanted during harvest.  Luckily, the weather quickly turned warm again and after a weekend of sunshine combined with a nice breeze, the grapes and the vineyard s were able to dry quickly and  harvest was back in full swing.  The 2010 harvest was completed on October 26^th with Cabernet Sauvignon from our Creston Valley Vineyard.  The last fruit was brought in just before the first frost came over Paso Robles wine country during the night of the 27^th.

Petite Sirah Harvest, Creston Valley, 10/18/10

Overall, yields per acre were slightly higher than in 2009 and the 2010 harvest turned out excellent, especially for the early ripening varieties such as Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Syrah and Petit Verdot.  Nonetheless, some varieties, for example Petite Sirah, struggled with the lack of intense heat.  On the other hand, the longer hang time enabled us to pick the grapes at the optimal ripeness and at slightly lower sugar levels than in previous years.
                                                                   Matthias Gubler measuring sugar
                                                                    content (Degrees Brix) of Syrah

Looking back at the 2010 harvest, we are happy with its quality.  Compared to other parts of California, Paso Robles wine country can be pleased with this past growing year.  We received more sunshine days and less rainfall during harvest than the North Coast and other regions.  So far, the wines taste fresh and are showing good fruit and acidity.  We are looking forward to releasing the first wines of the 2010 vintage this Spring.

Dear Fans,

Welcome to our new Vina Robles blog where you can get the inside scoop on what is going on behind the scenes here at Vina Robles.  We will share educational tidbits from the vineyard and winery, report from wine country happenings, and more. On Fridays, we will send you off into the weekend with TGIF!

If you have a question, would like to propose a topic or you just want to say hi, please feel free to click on the “Ask us a question!” link on the right and send us your comments.

Cheers!