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| Harvest Dawn from Los Lobos Vineyard |
We're sitting high on a knoll in the shade of an oak tree, sifting friable chalky soil through our fingers, gazing over the rumpled green corduroy of vines. Below us, the glinting river meanders southward through the shimmering heat…. This can't help but conjure a romantically Rhone-ish mirage, but the place names are Spanish, not French, and we don't deface the rocks with our brand.
The Los Lobos Vineyard emerged from the mischievous blend of viticultural expertise, entrepreneurial vision, and unbridled curiosity as Arroyo Seco owner Marko Zaninovich and vineyardist Roger Moitoso looked for the perfect place to grow Syrah in the early 1990's.
As we described earlier, an oceanic wind rushes South down the Salinas Valley floor and refrigerates the vines of Arroyo Seco every late afternoon. While this phenomenon has fostered fabulous white wines and soon great Pinot Noir, heat-loving red grapes occasionally struggle in cooler years. The wind hits King City with a wallop, but then it dissipates in the warren of foothills as the mountains encroach upon the valley further south. By the time the breeze reaches San Ardo, it's hot and dry.
The Los Lobos Vineyard covers a sloping bench that stretches to the west up toward the ragged ridges of the Los Padres Wilderness, home to condors and cougars, bandits and ghosts, rattlesnakes and 2 million gophers to feed them all. The reliable heat, cool but not drippy nights, relative protection from autumn rainfall, and outlaw presumption make this a winemaker's lurid fantasy Zinfandel dream farm….
Sure, I've always wanted to make a signature Cab, but so has nearly everybody else with a BATF bond (or a big ego). Actually, I'd much rather drink Zinfandel. Our 1987 Cardinal Zin from Arroyo Seco was my proudest red wine until the vines were yanked out in 1994. I still mourn. Thanks to Terrel West's mastery of vine grafting, a small number of Italian Primitivo cuttings were planted experimentally in the new Los Lobos Vineyard-in the highest, steepest section, naturally.
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| Primitivo Label |
Syrah Label |
We made our first Syrah and Primitivo from Los Lobos in 1996, and now we can barely restrain from strutting. The Primitivo has evolved to an extroverted, fruity, muscular wine, with plenty of natural acidity to stand upright and wink for years. Only a wine of this character could overshadow the Syrah, which has become one of our stalwart "food wines" and a real favorite with restaurants that serve beef.
Wells Shoemaker MD, Winemaker