2019 the SPELL
51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Syrah
ONX Vineyard – Paso Robles
Star Lane Vineyard – Santa Barbara County
Slide Hill Vineyard – Edna Valley
Unconstrained by the red tape of the appellations, Paso Robles’ non-conformist winemaking has allowed for this cross-regional blend of warm climate Cabernet Sauvignon (ONX Estate, Paso Robles) for the expressive fruit and cool climate Syrah (Slide Hill, Edna Valley), giving respectable structure and nuanced fruit. This blend combines their different virtues into a wine that, at its best, is greater than the sum of its parts.
One of the true highlights of this wine is that a beautiful sense of harmony has been found between the two varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon & Syrah. They are both distinctly present yet work in cohesion with no conflict at all.
Soon, such cross-regional blends could be a necessary approach to mitigate the impact of global warming on fruit.
CLIMATE
The diversity of climates found within the central coast offers a truly dizzying array of varietals and styles. With access to such diversity, it would come only naturally to exploit this and utilize all the different environments to achieve something unique.
We are pulling fruit from both warm and cool climate sites around the central coast for this wine – which creates a unique yin and yang balance between the fruits in the finished product.
VINEYARDS
All of the Syrah we are using for this vintage of the Spell is from Slide Hill Vineyard. Slide Hill is located in the southeast section of the Edna Valley AVA. This Biodynamic Vineyard was planted in 2005 and contains mainly Chamise Shaly Loam and Tierra Loam soils. These soils are moderate to very well-drained – making this site a perfect home to Syrah vines with intense flavors and aromas.
The other vineyard we are pulling Cab from to make our 2019 the Spell is Star Lane Vineyard, located in Santa Barbara County. Family-owned by the Dierburgs, this vineyard is home to a variety of Bordeaux varieties. Multiple microclimates come together in this vineyard to create a site perfect for a wide range of fruit.
We are pulling Cabernet Sauvignon from ONX Estate Vineyard in the Templeton Gap District of Paso Robles. This site is home to various soil types such as calcareous rocks and sandy, gravelly loams, which provide excellent drainage to create more stressed and robust vines!
