Pasterick Wines - Vineyard of Pasterick

Tastings:
Appointment only
Tours, Seminar & Tastings

Visit our wine cave on our picture postcard century-old property with Syrah planted on ten steep hillside acres bordered by Viognier. Our small family winery produces Syrah co-fermented with 3% Viognier in the classic Cote-Rotie method of the Northern Rhone. This dark handcrafted, unfiltered, unfined, richly aromatic wine offers complex layers of violets, mixed black fruits, dried apricots, with overtures of spices, cocoa, honey and vanilla...a great beginning, middle and finish. It is said, Syrah without a hillside is like St. George without his Dragon. We've got our Dragon. Join us in a toast to Syrah.

Our family hillside vineyard sits on the western side of Dry Creek Valley and was originally planted in the early 1900's. Today, our vineyard blocks scaler hillsides with slopes ranging from 20% to 45%. Long sunny temperate days with morning fog and cooling evening breezes from the Pacific Ocean 20 miles away provide perfect natural elements for growing Syrah and Viognier. Each block is distinct in soil composition, vine spacing, trellis system, exposure and topography. The Syrah is cordon pruned while the Viognier is either spur or caned pruned. We have the Chapoutier clone of Syrah from Hermitage in the Northern Rhone on St. George rootstock on both hillsides with similar trellis systems and sun exposure. Our Syrah is co-fermented with 3% Viognier and the resulting wine from both hills are kept separate until just prior to bottling then blended together bringing out the best qualities of both soil profiles. Topography and soil are the key to great Syrah.
The property has two distinct geological hills. The red hill is three to four million year old Sonoma volcanics' with deep red clay, while the brown hill is one hundred twenty million years old granite and bed rock. Three of our Syrah blocks and two Viognier blocks are planted on the Red Hill. The southern hill which we refer to as the Brown Hill, was formed during Dry Creek Valley's shaky beginnings at the 120 million old granite bedrock pushed up to the surface.

Wines/Varieties

Syrah, Viognier

Amenities

Bocce Ball/Petanque, Pet Friendly, Picnic Facilities, Sustainable/Organic/Biodynamic, Tours - Wine Caves, Tours - Winery/Vineyard