Winemaking

Old Oak was planted in 1973 by Pascuale and Leona Mastantuano on calcareous shale in the Willow Creek District and at 1325’ elevation. The nearly 50-year-old vines are head trained and dry farmed with zero irrigation. The vineyard is certified organic and farmed without the use of chemicals or herbicides. This was one of the first Zinfandel vineyards Ryan ever worked with and it has a special place in his heart. The vineyard is lovingly cared for by the owners Dave and Cathy Colmar and farmed by Jordan Collins of Lone Madrone Wines.

Moonsprings Vineyard was planted by Lynn and O’Neal Gray in 2018 and 2019 at a stunning site on the western edge of the Templeton Gap District. Our plantings of Mourvedre Clone 4, Monastrell Clone 1069, and Graciano Clone 572 will represent a new expression of Paix Sur Terre with the first harvest coming in 2021. We specifically chose north and east-facing slopes at 1500’ ft elevation which, along with its proximity to the ocean, will provide us the coolest terroir in our portfolio. We are ecstatic about this site as this combination of clone, exposure, and proximity to the ocean has simply never been done in this area to date.

Planted in 2001, Maison Mason has the only planting of Ugni Blanc in west Paso Robles.  Planted on the last range of limestone before the elevation drops drastically, the site is completely exposed to both onshore winds coming from the Pacific and offshore winds coming from the east.  The Ugni Blanc is planted on the thinnest limestone soils on top of the hill and is constantly facing 15-30 mph winds.  The fruit from Maison Mason is highly acidic and mineral driven due to the site’s extreme exposure and soil composition.

Established in 1994, Glenrose Vineyard represents some of the oldest plantings of Rhône varietals on the west side of Paso Robles.  One of the only terraced vineyards in the area, sitting at an elevation of 1,100’-1,595’, owner Don Rose bulldozed the hillside into terraces to expose the limestone and stress the vines. The vines are planted on extremely chalky, high pH soils, which combined with great rootstock and clonal selections, produce mineral driven, aromatic fruit.  While Glenrose is planted to Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese varietals, we source almost entirely French Beaucastel clones.

Bella Vineyard is our estate vineyard at Paix Sur Terre, meaning the vines are right next to the tasting room. Mitch and Stella Culver planted 2.4 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon clone 33 on calcareous shale in 2017 and we harvested the first crop in 2019. This site is organically farmed and produces tiny clusters with pea-sized berries that are incredibly intense. The Cabernet from this site is firmly rooted in the dark fruit spectrum and has some Petite Sirah interplanted for color and perfume.