We at JUSTIN have been committed from our inception to making wines in a Bordeaux style that “...belong in the company of the finest wines in the world." If you are making wines based on the Bordeaux winemaking tradition, it means that you will be using the grape varieties of that region located in Southwestern France known for wines made from cabernet sauvignon or merlot, blended primarily with cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec.
Cabernet sauvignon is considered a “noble” or “classic” red winemaking grape variety, along with such other varieties as pinot noir, syrah, merlot, sangiovese and nebbiolo. Of all of these “classic” varieties, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, the two Bordeaux varieties in the list, have proven the most adaptable to the varying conditions found in wine growing regions around the world. This is not to belittle the others on the list, but with the exception of syrah and less so pinot noir, these grapes are most happy and show their classic character when growing in their original homes in France and Italy. Of these varieties, cabernet in particular has shown an ability to produce distinctive wines in a wider range of climates and soil types around the world making it one of the most grown, if not the most well known fine red wine variety used for winemaking in the world.
A result of crossing cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc centuries ago, cabernet sauvignon rose to prominence in the western, maritime influenced region of Bordeaux called the Medoc. Here a more moderate climate and gravelly soils allowed this late ripening grape to really show its stuff. In the United States, cabernet established a strong foothold in the warmer Napa Valley; producing wines similar to those from its original home, but with greater fruit expression that like its archetype could still develop complexity over decades in the bottle. This success of quality cabernet in the “New World” acted as a springboard for greater things in other regions of California and around the world. From the red soils, or Terra Rossa of Coonawarra in South Australia to the coastal regions of Tuscany in Italy, where it is blended with the native sangiovese grape to make the famous “Super Tuscan” wines from the Bolgheri or Sassicaia DOCs and used in smaller amounts in the lesser known wines of the Carmignano DOCG, cabernet has established itself as variety that is expressive of its source and capable of producing some of the most distinctive wines in the world.
In the early 1980s, when he was looking for a place to produce his idea of a “First Growth” Bordeaux styled wine here in the California, our founder Justin Baldwin, considered starting his quest in Northern California but he was convinced that Paso Robles had the ability to produce a quality cabernet based wine that could compete with the best in the world. The combination of calcareous soils, as well as one of the widest swings between day and night temperatures of any winemaking region in the state, gives Paso Robles the ability to grow some very high quality and distinctive cabernet; wines that have both great intensity and complexity, but with elegant structure and balance.
Additionally, the particular area that he chose in the far western region of what became the Paso Robles AVA, has an elevation between 1,200 – 1850 ft. above sea level which is higher than many of the mountain vineyards of the Mount Veeder AVA and about equal to Howell Mountain AVA, in Napa. This elevation further mitigates the Paso Robles summer heat at night and provides us with more rain than the rest of the AVA during the winter months, providing exceptional growing conditions for quality cabernet.
Taking all of this into account, Paso Robles in general and the area around JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery in particular, is capable of producing its own style of distinctive high quality cabernet sauvignon. These are wines with great expression of classic cabernet blackcurrant fruit, layered with the characteristic Paso Robles mineral cherry accents. Instead of the more typical “fat”, or “jammy” structure you see in so many New World wines, JUSTIN cabs have a more classic, elegant and crisp structure with firm, smooth tannins that perfectly frame the flavors of the wine and make our cabernet more accessible in its youth, but ultimately cellarable for at least a decade in most cases.
In recent years, Paso Robles has become known at the “third region” in California, often named with Napa and Sonoma for the state’s most distinctive wine production. The way things are going, we might even be able to soon shed our “up and coming” designation! In fact, when it comes to cabernet sauvignon, we are only just beginning to hit our stride in the world of fine wine producing areas, so if you have liked our cabernet based wines in the past you will really like what is coming. Stay tuned because we’re going to show you that Paso Robles is Cabernet Country.
Jim Gerakaris, CSW
Certified Sommelier
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