Eberle and Adelaida of Paso Robles, California

“Gary Eberle grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania and went to Penn State on a football scholarship. After graduating with a bachelor of science in biology, he attended Louisiana State University (LSU) where he continued his graduate work studying cellular genetics. While attending LSU, Gary developed an appreciation for wine and changed his academic path to become a winemaker. He traveled west to California to study enology at U.C. Davis where he received a degree in Enology in 1971 and then headed south to Paso Robles in 1973.

Gary launched his career as a winemaker and as the “Pioneer” of Paso Robles Wine Region by establishing Estrella River Winery & Vineyards. In the late 70’s, he decided to pursue his own project and acquired nearly 64 acres just down the road from Estrella River Winery. Shortly thereafter, Gary released his first Eberle wine, the 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon debuting the iconic boar logo, depicting the German origin of the name Eberle, meaning “small boar.”

By 1982 the Eberle Winery production facility and tasting room were open for business and in 1994 Gary expanded underground, building the first wine caves in Paso Robles. Now, over 30 years later, Gary Eberle and his wife Marcy still greet guests daily with complimentary wine tastings, public tours of the production facility and 16,000 square feet of underground caves.  They also play host to a variety of delicious and entertaining events held at the winery throughout the year.”

“Winemaker, Ben Mayo is a native of San Luis Obispo.  He pursued his passion for art and science, earning a degree from UC Santa Cruz.  From there, Ben worked in the art world of San Francisco, where he was introduced to food and wine.

Influenced to combine his newfound enjoyment of food and wine with his passion for art, he returned to the Central Coast in 1998 and found winemaking to be the ideal outlet. Since 2001, Ben has worked with a small team to produce the vast array of Eberle wines, integrating his artistic personality, with a hands on approach from the vineyard to the final wine.

“For me, making wine is about elegance.  I pay attention to detail.  As I like to say, my science background gets me through harvest, but it’s my artistic side that helps me in blending and creating beautiful wines.” – Ben Mayo, Winemaker”

 

Eberle Winery Estate Chardonnay 2012– Paso Robles, California. “After the fruit was hand-harvested, it was whole cluster pressed. The juice was cold-settled for forty-eight hours before racking. It then went through a cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks to retain an abundance of Chardonnay’s natural fruit characteristics. After primary fermentation, one-third of the wine remained in the stainless tanks and one-third was transferred to French oak barrels (25% new). The last third went into neutral French oak barrels and was stirred once a week. The barreled wine was left sur-lie for five months to complete malolactic fermentation. Prior to bottling, the three components were reunited and chilled down for cold stabilization. Once clear, it was bottled. Produced from our own 29-year-old estate vines, we can guarantee that our Chardonnay remains consistent in quality and character year after year. Crisp green apple, pear, pineapple and Meyer lemon fills the palate, finished with a hint of toasted oak. This Chardonnay has the ability to please almost any palate.” $16.99

Eberle Winery Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2011– Paso Robles, California. Vineyards- Estate, Steinbeck, Bond and West Side. “The fruit for our Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from several vineyards throughout the Paso Robles AVA. These vineyards are from every corner of the appellation and showcase the diversity and quality of the Paso Robles terroir. When each lot arrives at the winery, it is cold soaked and then individually inoculated to begin primary fermentation. Once complete, each lot is barreled separately in a mix of American and French oak barrels of various ages. After the first barrel racking, the lots were tasted and the blend was made and left in barrel for 18 months. Just prior to bottling, the final additions were made and the chosen lots were blended in a stainless steel tank, and then allowed to settle. Eberle’s Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon displays 100% varietal characteristics blended from several distinguished Paso Robles vineyards, including Eberle Estate. Approachable and enjoyable in its youth, showing flavors of plum, bing cherry, blackberry with a hint of cedar and moderate tannins.” 90 Wine Spectator, Smart Buys- “Young, featuring plum, sage and blackberry flavors, gripped by thick, sinewy tannins, with pepper, tobacco and cedar details and a long, graceful finish. Drink now through 2020. 3,321 cases made.” $20.99

 

 

Adelaida Cellars‘ family owned vineyards (owned by the Van Steenwyk family) include five distinct properties totaling 145 acres in the craggy mountainous terrain of west Paso Robles. Only 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean, these are steep and elevated sites (1400-1935 feet), characterized by chalk rock limestone soils. Afternoon blasts of cool coastal air create a daily microclimate that swings 40-50 degrees. Our diverse planting of 23 varieties emphasizes Rhone varieties, old vine Pinot Noir, dry farmed Zinfandel, and mountain style Cabernet Sauvignon. Stressed vines produce low yields of precise flavors.”

“In 2012,  Adelaida Cellars welcomed Jeremy Weintraub as Winemaker.  “Jeremy brings an enormous amount of experience and perspective to our winery,” says Adelaida general manager Jessica Kollhoff.  “We are very excited about what he sees in our vineyards and how he works with vineyard and cellar crews to craft the best wines for our customers.”

“I have always thought of myself as a winegrower, more than a winemaker,” says Weintraub. “And that philosophy aligns with the concept behind Adelaida.  With some of the most compelling vineyard sites on the West Side of Paso Robles producing stunning fruit, my job is to capture that quality in the bottle.””

 

Adelaida Finder Rhone White 2012– Paso Robles, California. Anna’s Estate Vineyard. A blend of Grenache Blanc 45%, Viognier 40%, Picpoul Blanc 15%. 43% Stainless steel fermented & aged; 57% fermented & neutral oak aged 6 months sur lie. “Finder is a Rhone style white blend made exclusively from Estate grown grapes. Although the 2012 season finished with a stretch of very hot days these warm weather acclimated varieties showed their true potential, with aromatic blossom-like bouquets and classic stone fruit flavors. Fermented in neutral barrels (3rd and 4th use barrels) combined with lees stirring, contributed viscosity and a rich mid-palate mouth feel, while stainless tank fermentations (mostly Picpoul Blanc) added a sense of racy finishing fruit acidity. The characteristic green apple personality of Grenache Blanc merges with Viognier’s lush ripe peach and honey-like flavors complexed by the grapefruit tartness of Picpoul Blanc. Aroma: wild flower honey, granny smith apples, citrus blossoms. Flavor: fleshy, ripe peach, flinty minerality, citrus-nectarine compote.” 830 cases produced. $16.99

Adelaida Keeper Rhone Red 2010– Paso Robles, California. Anna’s Estate Vineyard. A blend of Mourvedre 35%, Syrah 33%, Grenache 15%, Counoise 14%, Cinsault 3%. This wine shows a bright and racy signature, owing to the cooler summer of 2010 in the Paso Robles region. Harvest from September through early October achieved optimum ripeness with matching natural fruit acidity. These conditions brought us wines of balance, that harmony of nature needed to achieve “elegance”, a word, which in wine equates to fresh and vibrant flavors that provide unexpected length and the intrigue of subtlety. Not just a formulaic GSM blend, this 100% Estate Rhone style wine derives its lively personality from Mourvedre, a late ripening variety, particularly successful in our vineyard. Mourvedre contributes dark fruit but especially a sense of meaty complexity. All 5 grapes in the blend were aged separately for 16-18 months in a combination of new and neutral French oak puncheon. Aroma: dark berries, herbs de provence, fresh meat juices. Flavor: blackberry, plum, earth, sagebrush.” 1610 cases produced. $16.99

Adelaida Estate Pinot Noir 2010– Paso Robles, California. “Based exclusively on fruit from our old vine HMR Pinot Noir Vineyard in the mountainous terrain of West Paso Robles, the Estate label represents a barrel selection of sites from throughout the property. The vines date from 1964 and are the oldest planting of Pinot Noir on the south-central coast of California. The vineyard lies in coastal influenced microclimate of the Santa Lucia Mountain range at 1700 ft. elevation and sits on well draining calcareous limestone soils. Sitting at the bottom of a steep ridge the site collects the cooler air and is sheltered from the warmer afternoon sun. 2010 was a cool growing season for Paso Robles with better than average winter rains and moderate summer temperatures, without the often encountered heat spikes, typical of the region. Pinot Noir, a cool loving variety, showed its full potential, the beneficiary of long hang times and the absence of heat extremes. The wine is a transparent garnet color with a beguiling bouquet of rose petals, cherry and black fruits and an exotic subtle smokiness. On the palate one encounters flavors of softly textured Italian plums with hints of Assam tea, finishing with a peacock’s tail of sandalwood incense and the lingering silky sweet impressions of a cherry and allspice cocktail. Delicate and lacy in its architecture this is a Pinot for pairing with salmon or herb crusted poultry dishes or just solo sipping.” 1100 cases produced. $16.99

Adelaida Estate Zinfandel 2010– Paso Robles, California. Michael’s Estate Vineyard. “Barrel aged 20 months in majority French oak, but we also use a few Hungarian, American, and Russian for “spice” 20% new Adelaida’s only dry farmed vineyard, Michael’s, planted in 2004, contains 18 acres of traditional head-pruned, heritage Zinfandel clones sourced from the Paso Robles AVA. Covering a wave-like, undulating hilltop, the vineyard has varying elevations, from 1580 to 1735 feet. The site, selected for its base of top soil and minimal erosion, is more appropriate for deep rooted vines. The installation utilized bud wood sourced from 110 and 80 year old vines which were grafted onto lime tolerant rootstock. Vines are spaced 11 x 11 feet in a diamond configuration, 360 vines/acre. Low yields are the norm, around 1.5 ton/acre. In 2010 Adelaida achieved SIP Certification for our sustainable vineyard practices. With the cooler growing season of 2010, the delayed harvest allowed longer hang times, resulting in expressive fruit and the classic combination of viscosity and “nerve” (the French word for crisp natural fruit acidity). After three years of drought conditions, the El Nino weather pattern returned effectively raising the Pacific Ocean temperatures and promoting an uplift of moisture into the upper atmosphere. The 2010 harvest broke from the year’s proceeding drought riddled harvests with vineyards being graced with above average rainfall, approaching as much as 40 inches in parts. The unique microclimate in the mountainous vineyards allowed for well- balanced and vibrant acidity for our Zinfandel. Initial aromas of cola and baked crabapple lead to a medium bodied palate. Tasting of briar patch, dusty black fruit, and cured tobacco leaf, finishing with hints of cocoa nibs and grindings of black pepper.” 858 cases produced-Unfined. $16.99

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