Winter in the Vineyard

How do barrels influence wine? This question may have popped into your mind as you swirled and sipped wine amongst the views of wine country. There are a lot of options and factors that make barrel decisions complex for the winemaker. It is an important decision as the chosen vessel will direct the structure and flavor profile of the wine. It ultimately reflects the winemaker's style, but can also elevate a grape variety. From toasts to wood preferences, the barrel options vary greatly and can make a wine go from good to outstanding. Barrels are the backbone of wine. Let's take a moment to appreciate the humble wood vessel.

The 2024 vintage was a hot vintage with an extremely warm and long Summer in Paso Robles. We began harvest on August 30th with our Sauvignon Blanc and completed harvest on October 16th with Petite Sirah and Grenache. To give us a little more insight, we caught up with Winemaker, Cody Alt to learn more about the vintage. How did the hot weather impact the harvest?  Cody: It was reminiscent of the 2022 vintage. Our yields were lower for us as well as most of Paso Robles. David said it is not uncommon for vines to auto-regulate after a high-yield year. Last year (2023) we had a much milder Summer and a cool Fall, which increased our yield.

Introducing our first-ever 100% Petit Verdot, an exclusive release for our wine club members! Our 2020 Petit Verdot is a bold and expressive wine, showcasing the full intensity of this distinctive varietal. While we’ve previously reserved this varietal for our Four Chords blend, the 2020 vintage marks the debut of a standalone Petit Verdot and we are thrilled! About the 2020 Petit Verdot Vintage The 2020 vintage is memorable much like the year for obvious reasons. Bud break was a little late due to rainfall in the Spring, but there were no frost issues with it being a warmer year. The flowering was normal and occurred in good conditions. Summer arrived with hot weather and record heat waves in August and September. This encouraged the 2020 harvest to begin and end in the blink of an eye. During the beginning days of harvest, Paso Robles and most of the Central Coast was overcast with smoke from fires in Northern California. Despite this challenge, the Petit Verdot was left to complete its ripening and the winemaking team worked their magic to save the wine from smoke taint. Therefore, the 2020 vintage showcases the hardwork and determination of our winemaking team to keep the quality that you have come to know and love at Parrish Family Vineyard. After fermentation, the wine was aged for 22 months in 75% New French Oak. It features a combonation of El Pomar and Adelaida estate fruit that was hand harvested. Petit Verdot Tasting Notes On the nose, you'll encounter vibrant aromas of blackberry and blueberry, interwoven with floral hints of lilac and a touch of warm baking spices. On the palate, rich dark fruit flavors dominate, led by juicy blackberry and ripe blueberry, enhanced by subtle layers of cinnamon and spice. The wine is full-bodied with structured tannins, delivering a powerful yet elegant finish. A true expression of Petit Verdot's depth and complexity. Would you like to try this wine? Join us in the tasting room to sample this Wine Club exclusive wine!

Looking for a cooler season red wine? Look no further, the 2019 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a lux red wine that will grace and impress your holiday occasions. I may be partial, but this Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite wine on the wine tasting flight.  Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting Notes The 2019 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has delicious notes of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, coffee, and a dash of nutmeg. This wine can stand alone without food, but it is a perfect wine to pair with meat, or hearty vegetables like mushrooms and cauliflower. Wine & Food Pairing There is a traditional food pairing philosophy that teaches red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. Those pairings can absolutely work and if you are just starting in wine and food pairings it can be a good starting point. That being said, they are not absolute rules that should restrict you. There are so many wine varietals, blends, and styles of winemaking that not every red wine will show best with a red meat, but instead fish and chicken. Pairings depend greatly on the wine and the aromas and tasting notes you get from it. Another important note is that spices and herbs can move proteins and produce in various directions. Meat, vegetables, and fruits obviously have their own flavors, but overall spices and herbs can direct the flavors. For instance, the right spice rub can move lighter proteins and vegetables to pair with a bigger red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon. Recently, we had a Skillet Mexican Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream and a Coffee Caramel. This delicious dessert went beautifully with the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This was somewhat of a surprise as normally sugar is an adversary to red wines, but what made this Mexican cocoa brownie sing with the Reserve Cab was the spices. We added chili powder and cinnamon to the cocoa, which marries with the baking spice notes found in Cabernet Sauvignon. And then the coffee caramel and vanilla ice cream met the notes imparted by the barrels chosen to age the Cabernet. Spices can steer food pairings. Cabernet Sauvignon Food Pairing At Parrish Family Vineyard, we love coffee. There is a lot of coffee that powers our team behind the scenes - from the winery to the tasting room and especially the kitchen. Not only do we love drinking coffee, but my husband Ethan and I love to use coffee to make rubs for our meats. The coffee adds a depth of flavor due to its acidity, smokiness, nuttiness, and chocolate notes. This ingredient can help proteins pair with red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. We came up with a coffee rub that can be used for any protein or hearty vegetable that can then be paired with our beautiful 2019 Reserve Cab. We hope this flexible spice blend can inspire your next pairing. Coffee Rub Recipe 1 Tbsp Freshly Ground Coffee, Fine 1 Tbsp Paprika 1/2 Tbsp Coriander Powder 2 Tsp Dried Basil 1/2 Tsp Mustard Powder 1 Tsp Onion Powder 1 Tsp Garlic Powder 2 Tsp Salt Finely ground coffee. Once you have the coffee ground, pour into a bowl and whisk together the rest of the ingredients. To make the overall rub more fine, you could ground all together in a spice grinder, or a powerful blender. Use the rub on your choice of meat or hearty vegetable. For meat, put the rub on the night before serving, or at the latest 3 hours before cooking. For vegetables, add the rub 1 hour before. Notes: You can sub the herbs for other preferred herbs. Smoked paprika could be used for a more smoky rub. This rub can be made in large quantities and stored in an airtight container for future use. DIY Christmas gifts anyone? Get some cute jars, ribbon, and tags to give these out to loved ones.

Need an easy wine and food pairing? The holiday season is fast approaching, which can drive any cook crazy. The mess. The various palates and food needs. The dirty kitchen with the mound of dishes. The too many cooks in the kitchen. We can console each other as holiday cooking can be overwhelming. But here's an easy appetizer to pair with our 2020 Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Franc Tasting Notes The Cabernet Franc is a wonderful variation from its relative, Cabernet Sauvignon. It features a lighter body and lovely red fruit notes. Our 2020 Cabernet Franc is medium-bodied with notes of leather, cranberry, pomegranate, and red cherry. It has a good balance of earthy and fruit. 

We all know that rosé is perfect for a day by the pool, but it shouldn't be left till the warmer months return. Rosé has a place in the Fall and Winter months alongside the holidays.

The Cabernet Sauvignon Grape Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of grapes and one of the most recognized red wine grape varieties. California's Paso Robles Wine Country has Cabernet widely planted making up 39% of the region's vineyards. The grape initially attracted attention in its homeland, Bordeaux, for its ability to blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Today the grape produces some of the best wines in the world.  Cabernet Sauvignon is easy to age because it’s a full-bodied wine with medium-high tannins and acidity. To balance this, oak barrels are used during fermentation making the wine feel softer. Common tasting notes include black currant, green bell pepper, graphite, dark chocolate, and cedar. The oak barrels bring out flavors of vanilla and baking spices. In the vineyard, it is important to harvest Cabernet Sauvignon at the right moment. Too early will make the wine have almost vegetable-inspired flavors. Too late of a harvest creates a jammy or stewed black currant mouthfeel. Young California Cabernets are fruit-forward while older, aged Cabernets have more tobacco notes. Cabs age very well at ten-plus years. It is a personal preference whether to age a Cabernet Sauvignon in your library or enjoy it now.

Ready to enjoy wine with food? We released our newest food menu to accompany our wine tasting at our Paso Robles tasting room along Adelaida Road. Our husband and wife kitchen team try to release a new menu every few months to keep things fresh and seasonal. Here is a look at the latest dishes that join our classic bread and oil, cheese and charcuterie, and BLTA.  Harvest Burrata: Ethan and Cecily sourced Italian imported burrata. With this mozzarella being so delicious, they wanted a way to highlight it without it being another caprese. That is when Cecily's childhood memories of working in their apple orchard kicked in. She created a warm spiced apple and butternut squash roast to pair with the burrata. The team finishes the burrata with pecans, olive oil, balsamic reduction, and a pinch of salt. It's a simple dish that pairs wonderfully with our 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon .

Our 2019 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc is our sweet wine on the menu and delivers notes of apricot, pineapple, banana, and orange sherbet.