more ↓ FORECAST:  Temperatures should warm a few more degrees today with minor cooling tomorrow as a trough moves inland. A ridge building into the state will lead to near normal temperatures for much of next week.

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August Ridge Vineyards » Profile

 

The August Ridge mission is to produce wines that combine the robust styling of the best California wines with the restrained elegance of classic wines from northern and central Italy. Our selection includes Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Merlot, and Arneis. August Ridge is located at 8790 Highway 41, less than 15 minutes from downtown Paso Robles. We are open for tasting Friday 12pm - 5pm and Saturday and Sundays 11am - 5pm or by appointment. Please visit our Web site at www.augustridge.com, call us at 805.239.2455 or send a note to jill@augustridge.com for details on visiting and Wine Club membership.

August Ridge was established in the spring of 2001 with the purchase of 40 acres of rolling hills in the Creston area of the Paso Roble AVA by John and Jill Backer. From the beginning their goal was to produce wines that combine the robust styling of the best California wines with the restrained elegance of the classic wines from northern and central Italy. Their passion for the project comes from a love of cooking, eating and sharing meals with friends which leads directly to August Ridge wine style.

August Ridge released their first wines from the 2005 vintage in the summer of 2007. The first releases included Sangiovese, Merlot and an Arneis blend. Current selection includes Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Primitivo, Dolcetto and Arneis. Two "Super" style reserve blends Jovial and Igenious were released in 2009 to round out the offering.

Estate wines provide the winemaker with control from the vineyard to the bottle so they are the key to achieving the August Ridge goals of power and finesse. August Ridge has vineyards of Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. These wines are crafted by hand using small open top fermenters, a mixture of new French and neutral oak barrels and a minimum of handling or disruption. Each wine is deliberately hand-made in small lots to bring out the uniqueness of the vineyard microclimates and diverse soil structures. As romantic (and labor intensive) as this may seem, John also maintains a full laboratory to take advantage of the latest developments in enology to ensure that August Ridge wines achieve quality by design not by accident.

The winery itself is a small, unassuming building that sits adjacent to the family home. Its functional simplicity matches the surrounding farm and is an appropriate setting to produce the robust and elegant wines that express the August Ridge terrior. Inside, the tasting area is just a small bar tucked away in one corner of the working winery and affords the visitor a clear perspective of the winemaking in progress. The farm and winery are such a natural extension of the family that daughter Isabella and cats Mickey and Billy and dog Lucy are as likely to greet guests as are John and Jill.

Production at the August Ridge winery is small. Current production is approximately 1700 cases and will remain at that level for several years. Our planned final growth cycle will bring production to 3000 cases in the 2010 vintage year. Given the small production size and planned slow growth only the Wine Club members will be assured of access to all of the wines - particularly the reserve blends. Subscription is already filling fast and the club size will be limited to ensure wine availability.

Salute per cento anni! (Health for 100 years!)

 

Learn more about our vineyards

Web site
www.augustridge.com

Address
8790 Highway 41
Creston, 93432

Phone
805.239.2455

  

E-mail
john@augustridge.com

Hours
Friday 12 - 5 p.m., Saturday - Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Established
2007

Wines Produced
Barbera
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dolcetto
Merlot
Nebbiolo
Primitivo
Red Blend
Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Arneis