2018 PharaohMoans Grenache Paso Robles

JD96 Gorgeous blueberry and blackberry fruits, as well as lots of blood orange, spring flowers, and white pepper notes all emerge from the 2018 Grenache. It’s a beautiful Rhône blend from Paso Robles that has full-bodied richness, an incredible sense of purity and elegance, and a great finish. It’s beautifully done and a gorgeous wine any way you look at it.
Estate Notes: 2018 PharaohMoans Grenache was picked from a single block in Westside Paso Robles in mid-October. The terroir is similar to the Syrah, with clay and limestone contributing exceptional freshness to the wine. To help integrate the fruit and bring some subtle texture to the wine, we fermented the juice with nearly 30% whole clusters in stainless steel tanks for three weeks. Fresh crushed strawberries exude from the glass, complemented by a smooth mouthfeel and excellent chalky texture. 150 cases produced.

Limited production Rhone-style Syrah and Grenache from hillside vineyards in Paso Robles, California’s fastest growing wine region. With distinct micro-climates, diverse soils and a long growing season, Paso Robles is a unique wine region blessed with optimal growing conditions for producing ultra premium Syrah wines.

John Schwartz, owner of Amuse Bouche Winery in Napa Valley, and Chef Bryan Ogden, recipient of the James Beard Award for best restaurant 2003, have teamed up with winemaker Guillaume Fabre to produce only 350 cases of our Rhone-style wine, which is aging gracefully in a combination of Tarransaud, Saury and L’Ermite French oak. Their vineyards are located in the West Paso Robles appellation whose sloping hills are broadly exposed to the Pacific ocean climatic influences. The objective was to create the best Syrah in California under the Paso Robles appellation. 

Winemaker is Guillaume Fabre, a French native who moved to Paso Robles in California in 2006 to work at L’Aventure Winery after spending years working on his family’s property back home. Working closely with Michel Rolland Consulting, he developed the skills and knowledge that his constant quest for highest quality demand.

The vineyards and winery are on the westside of Paso Robles near the Templeton Gap, a breach in the coastal mountain range where the cooling ocean breezes temper the hot summer days of northern San Luis Obispo County, and the resultant temperature swing from day to night can be as much as 40 degrees. The soils of this area are also well suited for vineyards, with limestone, clay, and rock-shell creating a lean enviro