The Wagram, a rocky outcrop which stretches across the north bank of the Danube all the way from Krems to east of Vienna, is the distinct location where these vines are produced. The area looks back on a one thousand-year old history of winegrowing. Already the Romans had recognized the favorable environment for growing wine grapes. Grüner Veltliner grows particularly well on the gentle loess terraces oriented almost exclusively towards the south. It is there

Over the last three decades, the Andrus family has eagerly challenged convention. They brought the practice of reduced vine spacing to Napa Valley from Burgundy. They introduced Dijon clones to Carneros. They hired one of the region’s first women winemakers. Their adventurous spirit has helped change the face of new world wine-making.

Long before Napa Valley became known as the one of the world’s most remarkable winegrowing regions, the Andrus family understood its potential. They founded Pine Ridge winery in the now-famous Stags Leap District. Experimenting with clones, rootstocks and winemaking techniques, they paid meticulous attention to every detail,

from vineyard to bottle, and embraced innovation in the pursuit of ever higher quality.

After developing Pine Ridge, the Andrus family began to explore other emerging wine regions, from the Pacific Northwest to New Zealand. In Oregon, their Burgundian philosophies brought wine quality to a new level. They adopted the grand cru model, with its emphasis on terroir, and cultivated numerous French clones that they matched to the region’s growing conditions. To provide ideal aging temperatures, they drilled the state’s first underground wine caves. Their forward thinking helped to establish Oregon as one of the world’s premier Pinot Noir producers.
The passion, commitment and adventurous spirit of the Andrus family is well-known within the wine industry. The Pine Ridge Winery has created “ForeFront” to honor the Andrus Family’s vision and their contributions with wines that challenge tradition.

Sourced from diverse vineyards located on the Central Coast, the defining characteristic is coastal influence. The San Luis Obispo County (Edna Valley) grapes provide a base of dense, black fruit and spice notes, due to rich soils and a long growing season. Santa Barbara County, with its marine soils and warmer climate, adds bright, lifted red fruits. The small amount of Sonoma County adds an interesting counterpoint of varietal earthy undertones.

Picked by hand in the cool of the coastal night, these grapes were hand-sorted at the winery before being destemmed into stainless open-top fermenters. After a short cold soak, the juice was inoculated with cultured yeasts and fermented for 8 to 14 days. The caps were punched down twice a day by hand to gently extract color and flavor. The wine was pressed to oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging.

This bright, young Pinot Noir leaps out of the glass with a nose dominated by black cherry, blackberry and plum with complex underlying notes of cedar and warm baking spice. With intricate layers of complexity, this wine exhibits with a rich palate laden with flavors of berry compote, rose petals, spice and lingering acidity.

Paraiso’s 400-acre estate vineyard lies at the southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County, California. Winegrape pioneers of the region, Rich and Claudia Smith began planting this property in 1973. Today, Rich and his son Jason manage almost 150,000 vines in 16 different blocks. The land provides varying soils, elevations and microclimates, producing grapes uniquely expressive of their individual sites.

The Smith family’s winegrowing experience over the years has earned them a best-quality reputation, translating into high demand for their winegrapes. In addition to supplying fruit for the Paraiso Vineyards wine label, the family sells grapes under contract to several other ultra-premium wine producers.

Early bud break and fruit set, along with extended hang time, are big advantages of the Paraiso’s Highlands location. Spring is generally temperate, encouraging bud break as early as mid-March, and harvest typically begins in mid-September lasting through October. This fully ripened fruit of good color and flavor concentration makes for superior-quality wine in the bottle.

Current fads aside, the Smiths have employed sustainable farming techniques since day one. Knowing that their vineyard could be in the family for generations, Rich and Claudia have always been keenly aware of their own environment as well as their potential impact on the surrounding area. Rich was a founding member of the Central Coast Vineyard Team, an organization that later created the state’s first sustainable farming certification for winegrapes, called Sustainability in Practice, or SIPTM Certified Sustainable. Paraiso Vineyards was the first vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands to earn the certification in 2008.

The 2008 Estate Syrah perfectly expresses the potential for Rhône-varietal wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands. The 2008 growing season was extremely cool, leading to gentle development on the vine. The fruit was picked in the second and third weeks of October, and employed a 36-hour cold soak in small open-top fermenters prior to yeast inoculation. The must was punched down two times daily before pressing. After fermentation, the wine was aged for more than a year and a half in seasoned French oak barrels, primarily from coopers Bernard and Seguin-Moreau.

This stellar Syrah exhibits opulent blackberry, blueberry and white pepper characteristics, along with sage and earthy undertones. It is nicely balanced by structured tannins and vanillin oak. The mouthfeel is weighty, making it a wonderful partner with heavier foods such as Osso Bucco or Goat Cheese-Stuffed Manicotti with tomato and mushroom sauce. 322 cases produced.