The SOMM Journal

June / July 2015

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72 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2015 After checking into the stunning Pismo Beach–side hotels of The Cliffs Resort and Dolphin Bay Resort, we started our first afternoon in the heart of Edna Valley, where it all began. At Niven Family Wine Estates, proprietor John H. Niven told us, "My grandfather Jack Niven planted the first vineyards in Edna Valley over 40 years ago. Not being one to think small, he started off with 550 planted acres, known as Paragon Vineyards, which eventually grew to over 1,100 acres." After a brief partnership in the late '70s with the legendary Dick Graff of Chalone Vineyard, Jack Niven started up the Edna Valley Vineyard brand (now owned by E. & J. Gallo) in 1981, and successfully established Edna Valley as an AVA in 1982. Shortly thereaf- ter, Jack's wife Catharine spearheaded a Burgundy inspired, close-space 3.5-acre project of her own, nearby on Tiffany Ranch Road, which would evolve into Edna Valley's prestigious Baileyana Winery (still owned and operated by the Niven family). Christian Roguenant wowed us with a tasting of the Niven family's Tangent 2014 Paragon Vineyard Edna Valley Sauvignon Blanc, fashioned from 41-year-old vines—a bracingly tart-edged, meaty yet sleek, lithe, contempo- rary take on the varietal, juxtapos- ing pungent whiffs of fresh citrus, mineral, honeyed melon and leafy pyrazine in the nose. Even more impressive was the Tangent 2014 Paragon Vineyard Edna Valley Albariño, a steely- tart white bursting with white peach, lychee, white pepper and palate-scrubbing minerally/saline sensations. Inheriting his grandfather's penchant for thinking big, John H. Niven planted 45 acres of this Spanish grape, telling us, "Edna Valley is a coastal region much like Spain's Rías Baixas, so I had no doubt that the grape would do well for us." Several other growers in the area have since followed the Nivens with plantings of their own Albariño, making SLO easily the largest source of the grape in California. Monsieur Roguenant told our group, "Getting the true Rías Baixas–style character of the grape into the skins, where all aromatics come from, is not as much of a challenge as getting the acidity down—our climate is so cold. We have learned to do that through aggressive leaf pulling several times during the growing season—the last time, about two weeks before harvest, to increase sunlight on the skins." Our next stop was at Bassi Ranch, a 30-acre planting on steep, south facing slopes (15% There are also a number of vine- yards located between the coast and the westernmost boundaries of Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande Valley—some as close as a mile from the beach (such as Bassi Ranch and Squire Canyon Vineyard near Avila Beach)—that are currently bottled as San Luis Obispo County wines. In the works is a prospective "San Luis Obispo Coast" AVA, which would entail a longer and wider swath fall- ing within San Luis Obispo County, between the coast and top ridgeline of the Santa Lucia Range (of which Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande Valley would then be sub-appellations). According to Christian Roguenant, the respected winemaker of Niven Wine Estates, "Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande Valley are the coolest appellations in California, according to recent studies of average grow- ing season temperatures and degree days." Adds Mike Sinor, owner/ grower/winemaker of Sinor-LaVallee, "The coastal climate also means shorter, milder winters. Our vines bud out sooner than elsewhere, but the long, cool growing season holds pH down and TAs [total acidities] up. Because we end up picking about the same time as everyone else, in late September and October, our grapes get much longer hang-time than in other regions." Brian Talley, owner/grower of Talley Vineyards, who produces wines from both Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande Valley, tells us, "If I were to boil the profile of SLO Coast down to one word, it would be energy. That energy comes from the sunlight and cool climate defined by our immediate proximity to the ocean. It's in the refreshing quality—that spine of citrus acidity—you taste in our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and other wines made from grapes like Albariño and Grüner Veltliner, for which we are also becoming known for. This energy is pervasive when the wines are young, and always there as the wines grow old and gracefully." aromatic whites and beachside viniculture daY 1 PHOTO: RANDY CAPAROSO Christian Roguenant, Winemaker for Niven Family Wine Estates, at Paragon Vineyards.

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