Winemaker Notes
Aromatically, this wine leads with a salty citrus edge with earth tones that have exotic hints of North African spices. From there is a depth of jasmine and beautiful citrus driven tropical fruit, reminiscent of squeezing a lime wedge over the fruit of a half cut Papaya. You can’t hide the ever so present ripe grapefruit component that we often refer to as Squirt…the infamous grapefruit soda.
This is a super interesting wine. It has a harmonious balance of ripeness but a ton of verve and energy on the palate. A base of salty citrus, ginger and white pepper mingle with grapefruit that all lead to a savory zesty finish drenched in minerality. This wine touches both sides of the Grüner spectrum, bright, fresh and vibrant along with texture and a fullness that showcases what makes Edna Valley white wines unique.
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
John Niven has been rooted in Edna Valley’s wine industry for over 20 years, but his story started many decades earlier. His grandfather Jack Niven trailblazed the planting of San Luis Obispo’s modern day vines in the early 1970’s and is considered the pioneer of the Edna Valley. He just happened to plant his historic Paragon Vineyard just after John was born. Little did he know that these plantings and his vision would determine the fate of the region. Decades later, this fate led John and his wife down the path to start their our own winery focusing on vibrant energetic white wines from the Edna Valley.
The Edna Valley is truly a gem on a AVA for white wine varietals and deservedly should be included in the broader conversation as one of the great white wine regions of the world. It lies just 5.5 miles from the edge of Pacific Ocean. It’s maritime influenced extreme cool climate and diverse volcanic and oceanic soils allows the incredible opportunity showcase white wines filled with vibrant energy, minerality, and a whole lot of individual character.
A Cadre is a small group that has been specifically chosen to band together and promote a greater cause. In this case, this is a Cadre of cool climate small production Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, and Sauvignon Blanc that is out to show the wine world the greatness of the lively, high acid, energetic and mineral driven cool climate white wines from the Edna Valley. This Cadre is not just made up of these wines, it includes John and his tireless passion for the region. No one believes in white wines from the region more than John. Our San Luis Obispo Coast has just begun to scratch the surface on exploring the endless potential of the world of white wines. There is so much to learn, and we are just getting started.
California’s coolest wine growing area, Edna Valley excels in the production of high quality Central Coast wines like Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Rhône Blends and aromatic white wines. It has a cool Mediterranean climate and an incredibly long growing season, giving late-ripening varieties plenty of opportunity to develop great phenolic complexity.
Its northwest to southeast orientation creates a direct path for cool Pacific air and fog to penetrate the valley from the Los Osos and Morro Bay area inwards. Low hillsides of both calcareous and volcanic soils are home to much of the vineyard acreage of the Edna Valley.
Fun to say and delightfully easy to drink, Grüner Veltliner calls Austria its homeland. While some easily quaffable Grüners come in a one-liter—a convenient size—many high caliber single vineyard bottlings can benefit from cellar aging. Somm Secret—About 75% of the world’s Grüner Veltliner comes from Austria but the variety is gaining ground in other countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United States.