Paso Robles is known as a warmer-climate region. But at Ancient Peaks, we produce a beautiful outlier: a cool-climate Pinot Noir.
Let’s talk about how we pull this off!
Location, Location, Location!
Compared to Rhône (Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, etc.) and Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, etc.) varieties, Pinot Noir is more of a rarity in Paso Robles—primarily because it’s known to thrive in cool climates.
However, our estate Margarita Vineyard resides in the Paso Robles region’s coolest growing area. As the crow flies, it’s just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Here, marine cooling is pronounced, resulting in a long growing season that is, on average, two weeks later than Paso Robles proper.
Even more telling is that, as the southernmost AVA in Paso Robles, Santa Margarita Ranch is just over the mountain range from Edna Valley, an ultra-coastal region known for producing world-class expressions of Burgundian varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
On top of all that, our Pinot Noir comes from Margarita Vineyard’s Block 34, which is tucked against the mountain peaks in the path of what is known as the Trout Creek Drainage—a natural channel carved into the mountain flanks by eons of erosion. As coastal fog rolls inland from Morro Bay and begins to spill over the peaks, it first rolls down this channel and right through block 34, making it the coldest spot in the vineyard.
The result is a unicorn wine: a truly coastal cool-climate Pinot Noir from Paso Robles.
Handled with Care
Pinot Noir is an elegant and sometimes fickle grape that should be handled with care. You never want to over-extract or over-oak a Pinot Noir, lest you override its inherent varietal beauty.
Toward that end, we cold soak our Pinot Noir for three days to ensure a gentle extraction of color and flavor. After fermentation, the wine is gently pressed and aged for 16 months in French oak barrels. The barrels include a small percentage of new oak to bring roundness to the mouthfeel and complexity to the palate.
Lasting Elegance
Our current release 2024 Pinot Noir announces itself with scents of rose petal, raspberry, tea leaf and baking spice. Fresh, fruity and silky on the palate, it offers luscious flavors of plum, cherry and cranberry laced with notes of coffee, cinnamon, toasted oak and light savory spices. A seamless finish offers beautiful balance and lasting elegance.
The expansive flavors of the 2024 Pinot Noir make a great match for pork tenderloin with berry glaze, roast chicken or turkey, mushroom risotto and grilled salmon.