2015 Beringer The Waymaker Red Paso Robles

Beringer Vineyards has a legacy of farming unique and important growing regions that dates back to 1876, when two brothers established the winery with a desire to make wines from Napa Valley that rivaled those produced intheir homeland of Germany. That tradition continued in the 1960s with an early stake in Knights Valley, and continues today with wines from outstanding vineyard locations in California’s Central Coast. The Waymaker represents Beringer’s pioneering viticultural past, and its commitment to farming the best of California’s vineyards.

Nestled among the rolling hills near the town of Paso Robles, Camatta Hills is a 600 acre vineyard planted primarily with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Roussanne. The Cuesta Ridge coastal mountain range to the west protects the valley in which the vineyard sits, allowing for even ripening with hot daytime temperatures balanced by cooling Pacific Ocean breezes and maritime fog in the evenings. Camatta’s incredibly chalky limestone soils lend the grapes their most distinctive characteristics. Restrictive soils and small canopies create vines that must stress themselves to reach moisture and nutrients, resulting in great flavor and tannin development.

To maintain the unique characteristics of the different lots from varying areas of the vineyard, Chief Winemaker Laurie Hook monitored each of the lots through vinification and aging. The wines were then aged in a combination of seasoned oak barrels with a small amount of new oak for 17 months to both round and soften the tannins and bring in some additional spice notes. The foundation of the Waymaker is Syrah, a varietal that demonstrates great richness and generosity from Camatta Hills. Cabernet Sauvignon comprises the majority of the balance of the blend, and lends great depth of fruit as well as lifted spice notes. Finally, a portion of Petite Sirah was blended in for its aromatics and rich, inky color.