California’s Central Coast creates ideal conditions for cool-climate Syrah
August 30, 2018 (Cambria, Calif.) – Stolo Family Vineyards is making a name for itself as a premiere cool-climate wine producer, recognized for its small-production Syrah.
The wine program is led by up-and-coming winemaker, Nicole Pope, who is earning accolades for her winemaking style – a style that blends both old and new winemaking techniques – and her ability to produce varietal wines that stay true to the unique terroir of the vineyard.
“Cambria is a beautiful place to make wine,” shares Pope. “I’ve worked harvests around the world and throughout California and I can honestly say there is no place like unique location and terroir. It’s an ideal place for making high quality, cool-climate wines with finesse and complexity.”
Located only three miles from the Pacific Ocean, Stolo Family Vineyards is a premier estate winery and vineyard in Cambria, less than 45 minutes west of the burgeoning wine region of Paso Robles. The dividing Santa Lucia mountain range separates Cambria and its maritime influence from the extreme diurnal swings found inland, where it can average 30-40 degrees warmer in the day during the summer months. Due to its positioning, Stolo Family Vineyards receives an abundance of cooling ocean breezes and fog, allowing it to maintain an average temperature of 65-75 degrees during the growing season – idyllic conditions for ripening Syrah, Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties in a slow, consistent manner. The results are longer hang times and lower yields, allowing the grapes to have true varietal character, higher acidity and more noticeable terroir-driven flavors.
“Foot stomping gently crushes so the juice is released slowly from the skins, resulting in cleaner whole cluster fermentations that we feel are worth the extra effort,” says Pope. The 2017 vintage was the third for this technique and there are no plans to stop. Pope, who favors whole cluster fermentation on Syrah rather than 100% destemming, adds, “We’re always trying to improve upon previous vintages for our wines, our Syrah in particular. Whole cluster fermentation allows us to achieve lifted aromatics and greater structure in the wine, adding peppery, dried herb and spice notes to further the wine’s complexity.”
This traditional method crushes the fruit without breaking the seeds, thereby avoiding bitterness and avoiding full carbonic fermentation. The result is a wine style more in line with Syrah from the Northern Rhône region of France.
Stolo Family Vineyards is revered for its Syrah, which was rated by Wine Enthusiast as #27 in 2017, and was the top rated Syrah on the list.
For more information on Stolo Family Vineyards, please visit stolofamilyvineyards.com. Limited samples are available to qualified media upon request.
About Stolo Family Vineyards
Stolo Family Vineyards is the only winery and tasting room on estate vineyards on the Central Coast of California and at approximately three miles, once of the closest vineyards to the Pacific Ocean, making it a favorite for locals and wine experts alike. Established in 2004, the winery focuses on producing small-lot, premium wines with an emphasis on cool climate estate wines like their Pinot Noir, which was rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast. The 2014 Estate Syrah was rated 96 points and ranked #27 on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wines of 2017; it was the top-rated Syrah on the list. Stolo Family Vineyards is located at 3776 Santa Rosa Creek Road in Cambria, California, 93428. For more information, please visit stolofamilyvineyards.com and be sure to follow Stolo Family Vineyards on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
