Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/490558
{ SOMMjournal.com } 107 Much of the Templeton Gap District, the Paso Robles Willow Creek District and the Adelaida District on the west side consists of dramatic terraces and mountainous slopes ranging from 700 to 2,200 feet in elevation; often with considerable calcare- ous content favorable to root absorption of water and mineral nutrition leading to higher natural wine acidity. But you can also find similar high elevation and calcar- eous sites in east side AVAs such as the Paso Robles Estrella District, the El Pomar District and the Creston District. As we learn more about individual Paso Robles Viticultural Areas, we also come to a better understanding of their impact on structural and aromatic qualities in result- ing wines. This, after all, is where the rubber meets the road, or Highway 101. A few remarks gleaned from recent tastings and conversations with winegrowers: Adelaida District Paso Robles' western- most AVA is also the most mountainous— vineyards planted on slopes at 900 to 2,200-foot altitudes, in largely calcareous slopes of patchy colluvium (rocky clay/silt) or Linne-Calodo (shallow loam on shale/ sandstone), in a transitional climate classi- fied as Region II to III on the Winkler heat summation scale. Winemaker Kevin Sass once sourced from seven of the 11 Paso Robles appella- tions as the former winemaker of JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. Now that he is focused strictly on Halter Ranch Vineyard's Adelaida District estate, Sass tells us, "I am a firm believer in the heavy alkaline 'Adelaida Stone' because it holds acidity really well." Because the Adelaida District is also a few miles north of the Templeton Gap, according to Sass, "We are able to ripen in extremely cool vintages . . . yet warm years tend to benefit the West Side, cooler years the East Side." Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery Winemaker Kevin Willenborg, who works with estate grown fruit on both sides of Highway 101, concurs with Sass, telling us, "Adelaida consistently gives us the most powerfully structured Cabernet Sauvignon, with the lowest pH," which results in higher total acidity. Clos Solene Wines' Guillaume Fabre, who specializes in ultra-intense Rhône-style varietals and blends, makes note of the fact that lime- stone alkalinity is also key to wines grown in the Adelaida District's higher elevation sites, where "grapes ripen quickly, but lime helps keep the freshness and balance in the wines." Paso Robles Willow Creek District The Paso Robles Willow Creek District is a more consistent Region II than the Adelaida District just to the north, with 1,000 to 1,900-foot slopes of largely shallow, calcareous Linne-Calodo soils. Jordan Fiorenti, who makes wines from Epoch Wines' Paderewski Vineyard off Peachy Canyon Drive, cites the lime- stone, shale and 8.0 soil alkalinity as the primary advantage of Willow Creek; giving proportionate sugar/acid/tannin balance in varietals as varied as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Zinfandel, Carignan and Tempranillo. Villa Creek Cellars Owner/Winemaker Cris Cherry, who has the perspective of sourcing his myriad Rhône style blends from both the Paso Robles Willow Creek District and the Adelaida District, tells us, "Willow Creek has more of the coastal influence of afternoon winds flow- ing through Templeton Gap. At higher elevations, Adelaida sees more hours of sunlight, as it is usually above the fog line in the morning. So we get a higher acid/ cranberry/pomegranate profile in our Grenache from Willow Creek, and slightly lower acid and darker, savory fruit in Grenache from Adelaida." Templeton Gap District The Templeton Gap District, running south of the Paso Robles Willow Creek District, is defined as a geographic corridor of air flowing