The wines of Broken Earth are made to accurately portray varietal defenition, purity of fruit and balance. The palate must appear “seamless” and where more complex wines are intended, they must allow the layers of complexity to continually emerge as you familiarize yourself with the wine.
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In September 2019, 28 tons were handpicked and delivered to the winery. The fruit was crushed and inoculated the same day with BDXyeast. Pump overs were done twice a day throughout the ferment. Alcoholic fermentation finished in October of 2018 and the tank was pressed off skins and then malolactic fermentation began. It was finished in November 2018. In April 2019, the wine was transferred to new hybrid oak and new French oak barrels. The wine was left in the barrel until mid-June 2020. After filtration, the wine was bottled on June 18, 2020. Cabernet Franc is a significant Bordeaux variety that figures prominently in the “right bank” styles of Pomerol and St Emilionalthough it is rarely released there on its own. Paso Robles’ climate has the ability to get it ripe on its own and we are confident, and excited, to release this 100% varietal Download Tasting Notes -
Albillo Mayor is a white variety that has its origins in Galicia in north-western Spain. Interestingly, DNA studies have determined that it is one of the parent grapes of Tempranillo, one of Spain’s premier red varieties. There is also an understanding that it is the origin of the widely acclaimed Argentinian white variety, Torrontes. After some discussion, and consideration, we have opted to use Albillo Mayor as the varietal name. Some may recall the previous vintage of this wine (2019) we called Anonymity in lieu of determining the best option. The grape variety presents with relatively tough skins and, while it shows some susceptibility to mildew, thrives in the dry and warm conditions of our Paso Robles Estate Vineyard. Torrontes is typically grown at higher altitudes while Albillo Mayor enjoys the warmer climates just north of Portugal. In Paso, we need to be very mindful of sunburn on the fruit and have adjusted our vine canopy management accordingly, choosing to allow natural shading from the active canopy. The style of wine is focused on ripe, tropical fruit with a softer palate while still maintain balanced natural acidity. The fruit was harvested on 9/23/20 at 20.8 Brix and following 21 days fermenting, resulted in a finished wine with 11.57% alcohol and 0.8g/L residual sugar. This means the wine is very dry with a lower alcohol than you would typically expect from Paso Robles. Download Tasting Notes -
Rosé, as a wine, has certainly gained prominence in recent years with consumers. The darker, sweeter versions have given way, though, too much tighter and drier styles that reflect real elegance and style. We chose Grenache to be the basis of our Rosé which is the predominant grape used in Provence-style Rosé blends. This 2022 vintage is bright, fresh, and highly fragrant. While it is very dry on the palate you'll get a burst of strawberry and raspberry fruit. It has a great length of flavor and wonderfully balanced acidity making it the perfect drink for all your spring and summer occasions! -
This is the third crop from a section of Cabernet Sauvignon vines that were replanted, and it is the first real showing of our vineyard’s true potential as these vines will produce and improve upon with age. This Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon matured in New French Oak, which has an extremely tight grain and leaves little space for air exposure, creating a more delicate mouthfeel. According to the winemaker, this is a French Cabernet on steroids. Pair this wine with duck or a leaner beef, with nothing too rich in the sauce. Perfectly seared lamb would also go quite nicely. Download Tasting Notes -
The base wine is the same as our 2018 Limited Release Albariño. The vines are quite old (20+ years) on a quad trellising system that can be susceptible to sunburn, so the harvest date needs to be very specific. The handpicked grapes were in excellent condition, with the ripeness at 21.6 Brix. Processed first thing in the morning through the new Diemme Velvet 80 Press, which ensures that little to no oxygen comes in contact with the juice, resulting in brighter, fresher product. The free run juice was separated from the pressings to allow the more elegant characters to prevail. Ferment was complete on 10/19/18, lasting 34 days. The fermented wine was then cold stabilized and heat stabilized. Most of the base wine was then bottled for limited release while the rest was put through Méthode Champenoise. This is the process used to create the famous wines of the Champagne region in France. A ‘base’ wine is created prior to being transferred to the bottles where the secondary fermentation occurs. Sugar and specialized yeast are then added, the bottle is capped (crown seal) and fermentation occurs, whereby generating more alcohol but more importantly CO2. The wine is then topped to the required level with the liqueur d’expedition before the cork is inserted and the wire hood attached. Download Tasting Notes -
The base wine was produced from the same grapes as our 2018 Limited Release Grenache Rosé. The fruit was machine harvested during the night, with the ripeness at 20.3 Brix, aiming for a brighter, austere style of Rosé. On receipt at the winery, the grapes were crushed into a fermenter and inoculated straight away with QA 23 yeast. After 38 hours on skins, the fermenting juice was drained off to complete cold fermentation on its own. The fermentation was completed on 10/8/18 after 27 days. It was racked off gross lees on 11/2/18. The fermented wine was then cold stabilized and heat stabilized. Most of the base wine was then bottled for limited release while some was set aside in order to be put through Méthode Champenoise. This is the process used to create the famous wines of the Champagne region in France. A ‘base’ wine is created prior to being transferred to the bottles where the secondary fermentation occurs. Sugar and specialized yeast are then added, the bottle is capped (crown seal) and fermentation occurs, whereby generating more alcohol but more importantly CO2. The wine is then topped to the required level with the liqueur d’expedition before the cork is inserted and the wire hood attached. Download Tasting Notes -
This variety originates from the south west of France in the region of Madiran, part of historical Basque territory. Typically it is blended with Cabernet Franc in the wines labeled Madiran. More recently it has become the preferred red grape for the country of Uruguay and has gained international acclaim. Our Estate vineyards added Tannat as a variety in 2012. Block 1N consists of 5 acres of vines planted on 10’ x 5’ spacings utilizing simple vertical shoot positioning (VSP) for canopy management. It is a prolific growing variety and we strive to keep yields below 4 tons/acre to ensure depth and concentration of flavours. As a variety, it exhibits very deep colour with bright, black berry fruits and considerable tannin. The real trick is to manage those tannins to provide a seamless flow through the palate. The 2019vintage provided the right conditions to meet our expectations. The resulting wine was harvested quite ripe at 26 Brix and the ferment was conducted at a cool 60F. This ensures the more delicate aromas and flavours persist. It only spent 6 months in second use French oak barriques to add supporting texture rather than dominate the wine. Download Tasting Notes -
This wine is a native variety of Spain where it forms the backbone of the famous Rioja region in the north of the country. It is also grown in Portugal where it is known as Tinta Roriz and is utilised as one of the predominant varieties used in the production of Port. It’s name is a derivative of early in Spanish and it reflects its early ripening capabilities. Broken Earth had some of the very early plantings of this variety in Paso and, although it was a tiny block, it encouraged us to plant much more in 2016. Block 5J is 15.09 acres of Clone 770 planted on 10’ x 5’ spacings and utilising simple vertical shoot position (VSP) for canopy management. It is an active growing variety, as mentioned has the benefit of ripening earlier and provides a plush, ‘fleshy’ palate but with ample tannins to balance the fruit. The wine is quite aromatic and warrants a more obvious oak regime which utilises mostly new and some used barrels, with a mixture of French and Hybrid (French oak heads and American oak staves). Harvested at 24.5 Brix, and following a cool ferment, it spent 15 months in oak. The result is a wine that immediately captures your attention. Download Tasting Notes -
Fruit was handpicked and delivered to the winery where it was crushed and inoculated that same day with Clos yeast. Pump overs were done twice a day throughout the ferment. Alcoholic fermentation finished and the tank was pressed off skins. Malolactic fermentation began and the wine was transferred to 50% French oak barrels and 50% Hybrid oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation continued until January 2021. The wine stayed in barrel until June 2021 and then filtration was performed and the wine was bottled. The decision was made to bottle the wine early after sensory evaluation. The wine had come together so well and retained all of the primary fruit characters associated with the variety that further aging was deemed not necessary. Download Tasting Notes -
This varietal is native to Italy, predominantly in Campania and Sicily as it prefers a warmer climate. It carries its own DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita) rating as FianodiAvellino in Campania. This is a fascinating variety that offers some powerful aromatics both through fermenting and in the bottle. The levels of tropical fruit aromas and flavors are extraordinary and with careful canopy management, this varietal loves the climate at our vineyard. Its tropical flavors are supported by honey notes and some spice. The fruit dominates though, on both the nose and the palate. A touch of grip on the finish helps tie the fruit up nicely. Surprisingly there is a hint of oak in the background which again ensures the complexity is focused. Currently the winemaking team’s favorite white, we are excited to see how the wines develop as the vineyard reaches maturity and its full potential. This wine has the weight and presence of a great Chardonnay but has the added depth of much more fruit. Whereby giving it the ability to suit many different occasions and food pairings. This is also a wine that enjoys not so chilled conditions, allowing the fruit to emerge by not serving too cold. Download Tasting Notes -
Grenache Blanc is a variety that is closely related to Grenache Noir, some believing it is, in fact, a mutation that occurred in Spain and eventually migrated to France. It is best known as a component for many Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Cotes du Rhone wines. In more recent times it has emerged as a stand alone variety and its versatility has resulted a broad array of styles. Our Grenache Blanc Block 2D-N (1.5 acres) was grafted onto original Merlot vines in the late90’s. It is a prolific vine with the potential for quite high yields and it tends to ripen later than some of the reds we harvest like Syrah and Grenache. This can be a bit tricky in the cellar but It’s fruit we are always keen to see. It was harvested on September 24th at 22 Brix and gently pressed and settled before fermentation at 58°F for 33 days. Again, cold fermentation was used to ensure all the delicate components remain with the wine. We do not utilize MLF or any oak with this wine, preferring to harness its unique fruit and textural characteristics. The variety’s texture plays an important role in that it adds eight to the mouthfeel without the expected higher alcohol associated with that complexity. At 12.01% alcohol it is one of those unique varieties that offers fruit ripeness not accompanied by elevated warmth on the palate. Download Tasting Notes -
Our Albariño vines are over 20 years old and grow on a quad trellising system that can be susceptible to sunburn. With this in mind, the harvest date needs to be very specific; if not, the grapes can either have little flavor or be too soft skinned if the pick date is missed by only a few days. These grapes were in excellent condition when harvested, offering a balance of ripeness and retaining freshness. Our Albariño was our first grape of the season to be harvested early in the morning of September 10, 2019. The brix level was 23 at the time of harvest, with about 3.1 tons per acre. The fruit was pressed right away using our inert press system. This press ensures that little to no oxygen comes into contact with the juice, resulting in a brighter, fresher product. After pressing, the pH came in rather high at 3.70. So an acid addition was made to lower the overall pH. The Albariño finished cold fermentation on October 28, 2019 with a very slow fermentation rate. This is due to the Albariño needing to be racked and fermented very clean, so this wine required lots of settling. The wine was heat stabilized, cold stabilized, and filtered right before bottling in February 2020. The wine presents clear with straw hues, youthful in age with plus acidity. With low acidity, this is a drink-now wine for a warm summer’s day. Download Tasting Notes