Skip to main content

Visiting Paso Robles - Halter Ranch Vineyard

Halter Ranch Vineyard is located in a valley in the Adelaida District's western hills. Vineyard manager, Lucas Pope, met us outside near the tasting room with a chilled bottle of the 2016 Rosé to get our group refreshed and ready to see exactly from where those grapes that made up the wine in our glass came.

The rosé is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Picpoul Blanc, it was light and crisp with tropical notes over strawberry and grapefruit. All of the wines that Halter Ranch produces are made from estate grown grapes growing at elevations reaching 1750 feet on limestone-rich slopes. There is huge soil diversity in the top soils within the area, Pope explained, as we headed into the vineyard. This allows for a wide variety of grapes to grown,
primarily Bordeaux and Rhône varieties. Currently, 281 acres are under vine at the expansive 2000 acre ranch property.

Much of the land has been designated as an environmental preserve by the current owner, Pope revealed. He ensured that there were wildlife corridors for the deer and other animals to access the water that they had always enjoyed when the vineyard was under construction. He is interested in protecting the land for the continued use of future generations. Pope said they are certified sustainable and try to be as organic as possible.

After a walking tour to check out the terroir, we stopped for a vineyard tasting of a few of the current releases. All of the following wines along with the Rosé are recommended.

If you are planning on being in Paso Robles, go online and check out the many tasting and touring opportunities offered at Halter Ranch.

The wines:

Halter Ranch Grenache Blanc 2015 - This wine is 80% Grenache Blanc, which is the favorite white grape at the vineyard, along with 14% Picpoul Blanc, 4% Rousanne and 2% Viognier blended in. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture, this wine had aromas and flavors of melon and pear with a light honeysuckle note in the fresh, lingering finish. SRP $28

Halter Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 - Primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with 10% Malbec and 7% Petit Verdot, this classic Bordeaux-styled red has bright aromas and flavors of pomegranate and cherry with a light earthy minerality; full-bodied, approachable and easy to enjoy now.

Halter Ranch Block 22 Syrah 2014 - This rich full-bodied red has intense fruity aromas and mouth-filling flavors of ripe mixed berries with a hint of smoke and cocoa in the long finish, SRP $55.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for reading Wine Life - Houston.

Popular posts from this blog

"The Zen of Zin" Tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks

On Friday evening, my husband and I attended the Zinfandel wine tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks. My husband gets totally pumped up for any and all things Zinfandel but what I found really intriguing in the line up of wines were the aged offerings. Brent Sloan, managing partner at Houston's premier wine storage facility Nos Caves Vin, had provided Fleming's with four 18 year old bottlings and one 17 year old bottling from his collection of some of his favorites. I found this interesting because 1. I don't believe that I have ever had an 18 year old Zinfandel before this evening and 2. From various wine classes, I had always heard that at best Zinfandel had very limited aging ability. So, I was definitely excited to give these wines a taste. There were also an additional five younger Zinfandel wines that are some of Fleming's best sellers. The entire tasting line up for the evening included: 2009 Orin Swift Saldo - California 2007 Schulz "Lampyridae...
5 comments
Read more

Spanish Wine under a Houston Sunset

I was asked to speak about Spanish wine and to conduct a tasting at the 30th birthday party of Kyla Kennedy on the rooftop patio of her and her fiancé, Jonathan Garrett's home this past Saturday. They invited a great group of friends with a new interest in wine tasting. Jonathan had the idea after the two had watched the movie "Somm" and had become interested in learning more about the wines of the world.  For our tasting tour of Spain: Anna de Coderniu Brut Cava * - Guests loved this Spanish sparkler! They found the history of the winery interesting and enjoyed the refreshing style of the wine. The birthday girl named the subtle tropical and citrus aromas like a pro. 2012 Burgan's Rias Baixas Albarino - Guests talked about the fresh peach aromas and the crisp taste. Many felt this could be their summer sipper.  2012 Raimat Costers del Segre Albarino* - Guests were interested in learning about this lesser known area, the innovative winery and how ...
6 comments
Read more

A Tropical Staycation with Spy Valley E Block

After a fair amount of traveling this summer with more still to come, I was looking forward to spending time at home with my family this week. Both of my millennial children have recently moved back to Houston but the home-cooked meals have been few and far between. I had recently received a sample of the Spy Valley E Block Sauvignon Blanc 2017 along with an invitation to participate in an on-line tasting with the Wine Pairing Weekend group (find them online under the hashtag #Winepw), this became the inspiration for this family gathering. I gleefully sent out a group text, "I'm grilling poolside tonight, be home by 7:30 p.m. to eat, come earlier if you want to swim." I am surrounded by funny people as the responses reflect, "Who is this?", "What have you done with my mom?", "Not a good night, Bachelor in Paradise is on." I was undeterred, I knew that they would come. I pulled the bottle out of the wine fridge to investigate what I was ...
6 comments
Read more