Pesenti Vineyard, Paso Robles

an overview

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERS, WINES, AND MORE:

Being that the vineyard lies a mere 8 miles from the coast, the Willow Creek District of the Paso Robles AVA experiences a Mediterranean-style climate with warm days and cold nights. In fact, Paso Robles has some of the most extreme temperature swings of any grape-growing region. The result: simply exciting wines. 

For a vineyard planted in 1922, changing the orientation of a block to capture the most sun exposure was revolutionary for its time period. This creates various ripening rates for the grapes and numerous pick days during harvest. Thanks to Frank Pesenti's innovation, the resulting wines are a true benchmark for a perfectly balanced Zinfandel from Paso Robles.

Paso winemaker, Karl Wicka, produces four wines from the Pesenti Vineyard: Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Tecolote (Grenache/Carignane), and Grenache Blanc (White Coat). With the calcaerous limestone and the occasional carignane vine interplanted with Zinfandel, the Pesenti Zin takes on a unique brightness leading to a "sweet-tart-esque" character. Like we said, exciting wines. The Petite Syrah vines were planted from cuttings hailing from the Hayne Vineyard in St. Helena. The wine it produces maintains the structural integrity of a well-built Petite Syrah all the while bringing in approachable vibrancy to the glass, even in its youth. The Tecolote (meaning Owl in Spanish) is comprised of old vine Grenache and Carignane and totals only 5 barrels. Finally, the Grenache Blanc is Paso's contribution to the adored White Coat. 

A LITTLE HISTORY…

Once upon a time, Paso Robles was under water. Whales swam where we now grow grapes. Fast-forward just a 'few' years, and the land itself is now composed of ancient uplifted seabed (calcareous mudstone), which creates an idyllic soil profile in a Mediterranean-style climate.

Frank Pesenti immigrated to the United States in the late 1880s and eventually found his way to Templeton, CA. He purchased this ranch in 1919 which was heavily forested with oak trees. During a time where the charcoal industry was thriving, he was able to sell the cleared lumber and use the profits to help plant (you guessed it) a Zinfandel vineyard. Frank began prepping the soil using a team of horses and began planting in 1922. In the same year, he sent for his wife, Catarina, to join him on their homestead. Prior to immigrating to the States, Frank became a Jack-of-all-trades gaining useful experience as a bricklayer in France. Utilizing that knowledge, Frank Pesenti created and laid the bricks to become what is now the Pesenti Winery. The winery was officially bonded in 1934. 

The Pesenti Winery stayed in the family until Larry Turley purchased the property in 2000. Cheers to Frank Pesenti for laying the foundation of such an incredible vineyard and winery.