2021 Mis Pasos

“Mis Pasos” means “my steps” in Spanish. With this wine, I get creative and produce a true “California Red Blend” wine, using small percentages of various grapes that defy any standing conventions, sourced from multiple vineyards, and made with creative winemaking and aging protocols. In most of my other wines, I’m honoring something outside of myself–my wife, my son, a region of Spain, or a particular grape–but Mis Pasos is all about my journey and my evolution as a Paso Robles winemaker. This wine is the most limited production of anything I make, and most of it is allocated to my members or held back to share with my family and friends.

You’ll also notice that Mis Pasos is the only wine that I make that features a photograph on the label, which is intentional. This wine is different, it’s an outlier, and has always been a favorite amongst our members and those close to me. This year, I chose a photograph of my sister Ana, sitting in front of the house we were born in, down in Michoacan, Mexico. I’ve represented her on Mis Pasos in past vintages, but this year I decided to honor her again, as a way of saying “thank you, Ana” … without her support, both financial and otherwise, I would not have been able to acquire our beautiful new property on Peachy Canyon Road.

Overall, thanks to a relatively temperate growing season, the timing of the 2021 harvest is about a week or two later than in recent years, with most growers pulling the first of the core white wine grapes in late August. While the region has seen smoke from wildfires up north, it didn't affect the vineyards in Paso Robles.

The ongoing drought conditions are presenting growers with a double-edged sword of sorts. The good news is the dry conditions this vintage created smaller, more concentrated grapes, which is ideal for winemaking. While yields are lower, it produces more flavors, bolder colors, strong acidity, and manageable tannins. These conditions have winemakers feeling it's an epic vintage for quality.

The Mis Pasos is always a blend of Tempranillo and Syrah, while including a Bordeaux counterpart. This years blend is almost equal parts Tempranillo, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each vareital compontent contribues something intriguing to this unique, atypical blend.

The nose immediately suggest cool climate Syrah with notes of purple flowers, think lavender and verbena, as well hints of gram cracker and clove. The pallate is smooth and cohesive with polished tannins that boast perfectly ripe blue and black fruits which serve to gently guide you the finish.