A lot of people ask Alexei why he chose Paso Robles as the growing region for his MyStory wines. Why not Napa Valley or Sonoma? Or Argentina for that matter. There were a lot of thoughtful factors that went into Alexie selecting Paso Robles, but first and foremost he believes that the value of wines coming out of Paso far exceeds that of the other growing regions. Paso Robles is one of the newer AVA’s in California. Paso Robles is located in northern San Luis Obispo County along California’s Central Coast.
The Templeton Gap District is one of 11 designated AVA’s within the larger Paso Robles viticultural area on California’s Central Coast. It surrounds the town of Templeton. It is situated below passes in the Santa Lucia Range to the west, which allows breezes and other influential marine effects from the Pacific Ocean to pass into the greater Paso Robles area. This is an important climatic feature for many other viticultural areas in the region. In the last few decades that agricultural drive has shifted from almonds and alfalfa to the production of world-class wine and a booming wine industry.
The Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) was established in 1983. The closest vineyard is 6 miles from the coast and winds from the Pacific Ocean have a major impact on the local area causing up to 50-degree temperature swings from day to night, meaning warm days and cool nights. Coupled with 700 – 2,000-foot elevations and 30 distinct soil types, Paso Robles is blessed because it has a long season that allows growers to ripen 69 different varieties balanced with sugar and acidity ideal for producing world-class wine. While Napa Valley’s climate is more accustomed to Burgundian varietals, Paso Robles is more accustomed to Rhone varietals that encourage winemakers to make more interesting blends. As an example: Alexei adds a percentage of viognier, a white grape, to his red blend, rose, and chardonnay after fermentation to create more complex Estate wines.
