Pharaohmoans

From the Pharoahmoans website:

We have produced only 300 cases of our Rhone-style wine, which is aging gracefully in a combination of Tarransaud, Saury and L’Ermite French oak. Our vineyards are located in the West Paso Robles appellation whose sloping hills are broadly exposed to the Pacific ocean climatic influences.

"We" are John Schwartz, owner of Amuse Bouche Winery in Napa Valley, and Chef Bryan Ogden, recipient of the James Beard Award for best restaurant 2003. With our combined 35 years in the wine and food industry, we have teamed up with renowned French winemaker-gone-Californian Stephan Asseo, owner of L'Aventure Winery on the Central Coast. Asseo has been praised by Robert Parker for "producing creative and adventurous wines that possess singular personalities as well as loads of potential for both near-term drinking and long-term aging."

The mutual objective was to create the best Syrah in California under the Paso Robles appellation. We have spared no expense, from farming to the bottle, to bring you a truly remarkable wine.

Our winemaker Stephan Asseo began his career as a winemaker and consultant in France's famed Bordeaux region. Stephan was looking for a new challenge where he would have the ability to experiment, try new ideas, and grow different varietals. He fell in love with Paso during a visit to California. In 1997, he purchased 127 acres, and founded L'Aventure Winery

Asseo's winemaking philosophy is about blending tradition and technology with artisan methods and a passion for quality. Obviously Asseo brings years of experience and a distinguished tradition of winemaking to L'Aventure, and to that he has added state-of-the-art equipment and techniques. The result is a combination of winegrowing and winemaking that is already receiving attention and acclaim as the finest producers of Rhone style wine in California.

Because of his emphasis on terroir, Stephan Asseo selected vineyards on the westside of Paso Robles near the Templeton Gap, a breach in the coastal mountain range where the cooling ocean breezes temper the hot summer days of northern San Luis Obispo County, and the resultant temperature swing from day to night can be as much as 40 degrees. The soils of this area are also well suited for vineyards, with limestone, clay, and rock-shell creating a lean environment for the grapes.

He planted his Syrah vineyards on primarily west facing slopes. Stephan selected rootstock that he felt would be particularly suited to the soil and climate, and also planted a high density of plants per acre to further stress the vines and maximize the flavors. In addition, yields are kept low through irrigation and pruning techniques, resulting in a maximum harvest of only about two tons to the acre.

Stephan believes that the characteristics of the grapes should come through rather than that of the barrel. Accordingly, he uses new French oak barrels as they can be toasted more softly than other types of wood. Asseo also uses small tanks during his winemaking process to keep his vineyard lots separate until they are ready for blending.