This is the second vintage for this collaboration between Morgan Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Company and Michael Havens. Abrente means “first light when the day door opens” in the Gallego language of northeastern Spain. Abrente is dedicated to the fresh, pure wines of Galicia and Portugal.

The fruit for this project comes from two vineyards in the Napa Carneros. The first, Stewart Ranch, is planted on clay and was the source for the Havens Albarino, which was the first Albarino producd in the new world. The second is an exciting site located in windy American Canyon at 600 feet and planted on some of the only limestone soils in Napa. The two vineyards were picked between 20.6 and 22 brix (under 13% potential alcohol) and fermented cold using a combination of native yeasts and a Galician isolate. The lees were stirred every few weeks in tank to build center into the wine, but hoping to create an energetic, supple, food-friendly, white wine.

The wine is pale yellow in color. Aromas of orange zest, savory herbs, green almond and white flowers on the nose. The palate offers lively citrus and orchard fruit flavors given spine by tangy acidity. The mouth feel is broad and supple. The clean finish features lingering spiciness and an echoing of lively orange zest, tangerine and mineral. 450 cases produced.

Rust en Vrede was established in 1694 by the then Governor of the Cape, Willem Adrian van der Stel. It was originally made up of a larger property but in the early 1700’s was divided into two whereby the original section remained as Rust en Vrede. The first house on the estate was built in 1780 followed by the cellar in 1785. In 1790 the larger manor house was built.

At the end of 1977 the Engelbrecht family took residence on Rust en Vrede. The family and their ancestors have been grape growers since the early 1700’s and by moving to Rust en Vrede, became wine producers for the first time. In 1978 R&V produced its first wines of the modern era. Jannie Engelbrecht made these wines and then appointed Kevin Arnold as cellar master of Rust en Vrede.

Many accolades have been bestowed upon the estate and some of the more memorable were when Rust en Vrede was chosen by President Nelson Mandela to be served at the Nobel Peace Prize dinner and hosting the Queen of Denmark for a lunch with my family at the Manor House. Rust en Vrede was nominated as the first South African red wine in the Top 100 Wines of the World and repeated this achieved for four consecutive years.

Mediterranean rainfall ± 650mm per annum. The vineyards are situated on north facing slopes at the upper end of the valley, hence the slightly warmer and more moderate climatic conditions, resulting in optimum grape berry ripeness. Situated in close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, cool sea breezes help reduce the vineyard temperatures during the summer months, extending the ripening period and thus allowing for big well-structured wines to develop.

The wine was fermented in open top fermentation vats, pressed and left to mature in French 300L barrels for 18 months. The Cabernet clones (six different clones) are kept separate throughout vinification, each getting a unique treatment of yeast and wood. After 18 months, the different clones are blended, bottled and left to mature for at least 18 months before release.

The color is opaque with a bright purple rim. The wine exhibits aromas of black cherry, cedar, rhubarb, anise and cocoa. The flavors follow with black currant, cherry, and anise that are wrapped by a weighty palate of beautiful grainy tannins and a long, savory finish.

Vina Robles is the realization of a long-held dream. It is the collaboration of international talents and recognition of an area of exceptional viticultural promise. It began as the world-wide search by Hans Nef, a Swiss restaurateur and developer, for the perfect place to grow Bordeaux and Rhône varietals.

With the help of California-based friend and business partner, Hans

Michel, Paso Robles on California’s Central Coast was selected, as it was rapidly becoming known for the production of wines of noteworthy quality.

As a result, Hans Nef purchased the oak studded land that would become the Vina Robles estate in 1996. After careful site studies and mapping, the appropriate rootstocks and varieties were chosen and a vineyard was planted the following year. In 1998 Viticultural Management, Inc was established as a viticultural services and consultancy company, providing expertise to Central Coast wine grape growers and to Vina Robles. The first estate wines were crafted by Swiss winemaker Matthias Gubler in 1999.

This 2007 Syrée is based on two varieties - Syrah and Petite Sirah - chosen from Ryan Road and Huerheuro, two highly regarded vineyards within the Paso Robles AVA. The Syrah and Petite Sirah lots were pumped over during fermentation and kept on the skins for up to 15 days to extract the maximum amount of color and tannins. The fruit was partially fermented in open top oak barrels, building up the structure of this wine. After being transferred to 100% French oak barrels, the two wines were blended after one year of aging and put back in to barrels for an additional six months. The resulting wine is deep, ripe cherry red in color. Aromas of dark blackberry, black cherry and bittersweet chocolate are accented by toasty undertones. The palate is treated to big, rich flavors of dark berries, spice, cedar and toasty oak. The finish is long and captivating.