GSM

Paso Robles experienced a dry winter in 2022. Overall, rainfall for the vintage was only 65% of the 25-year historical average in the region. Weather was quite cool during budbreak in the month of April, with a few nights briefly dipping below freezing. However, plenty of warm, sunny days followed from spring through completion of veraison in early August. An unprecedented 10-day heat wave occurred in early September that accelerated berry ripeness and Brix accumulation. Thankfully, unusually cool, cloudy weather and a little bit of drizzle came in mid-September, bringing relief to parched grapevines. Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre were hand- picked from the challenging, gravelly slopes of our J. Lohr Stairway Vineyard. 80% of the Grenache for this blend was destemmed and whole-berry sorted into a small 10-ton open-top tank. The remaining 20% was included as whole clusters. The fruit was cold- soaked for 4 days, then fermented on skins for 8 days prior to pressing. The final blend is comprised of 83% Grenache, 16% Syrah, and 1% Mourvèdre. The wine was aged for 8 months on light lees in neutral 500-liter French oak puncheons.