Halter Ranch Winery
Paso Robles, California

About the Winery | Sauvignon Blanc | GSM Rose | Cabernet Sauvignon | GSM | Syrah | Ancestor Estate Reserve

About the Winery
Halter Ranch is a new winery with a rich history. Located on Adelaida Road, on the west side of Paso Robles, our property dates to the 1880s, when it was part of a 3,000-acre ranch owned by Paso Robles pioneer Edwin Smith. The beautiful Victorian farmhouse Smith built in 1885 remains a Westside Paso Robles landmark.

Fervently committed to quality, we have focused on developing our estate vineyard, renovating the historic barns and farmhouse, and designing a new state-of-the art winery.

Our vineyard is planted to many different grape varieties – both Bordeaux and Rhone-style, plus Zinfandel, Tannat and Tempranillo. The vines are planted on steep, south-facing slopes reaching 1800 feet in elevation and boasting soils rich in limestone, a feature of many of the world’s finest vineyards. High-density plantings, multiple clones and rootstocks, and low yields enable us to produce fruit of superb quality. We are committed to the environment. In 2008 Halter Ranch was designated Certified Sustainable in all our farming and winemaking operations.

The following Halter Ranch wines are available in Connecticut:

2008 Sauvignon Blanc
96% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Viognier
A pale lemon-green hue introduces our fabulously fresh, wonderfully inviting 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, which offers keen aromas of kefir lime, pink grapefruit, cut grass, peaches and herbs. On the medium-bodied palate, the wine delivers dry, mouthwatering flavors of lemon, tangerine, peach, spice and mineral, with a crisp, lingering, ripe fruit finish. Delicious now with fresh sautéed or grilled vegetables, shellfish, Caesar Salad and lighter seafood and poultry dishes, it will develop further complexity over the next 18-24 months.

2008 GSM Rose
49% Grenache38% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre
Our Southern Rhône Valley-style Rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre reminiscent of the wines of the Rhône's Tavel region. It's a dry, bracingly fresh pink wine with intense red cherry and raspberry fruit aromas complemented by hints of wild herbs and game. On the palate, it delivers delicious, concentrated flavors of raspberry, red cherry, hibiscus blossom, blood orange, spice and cream, culminating in a crisp, mouthwatering finish that begs for smoked or grilled salmon, picnic chicken or a simple lunch of olives, baguette and cheese. Enjoy this lovely wine over the next 1-2 years.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 9% Malbec
Paso Robles has long been renowned for its world-class Cabernet Sauvignons, and our 2005 vintage certainly validates the reputation. Very dark in color, it boasts an enticing, sophisticated nose of ripe blackcurrant, black cherry and dark berry fruit, with distinctive scents of dark chocolate, cedar, black olive and sweet oak contributing complexity. On the palate, the wine's rich, well-integrated, dark fruit and vanilla oak flavors combine to create a lush, mouthfilling impression, with crisp underlying acidity propelling the long, savory finish. This wine will age beautifully in the bottle for 8-10 years.

2006 GSM
52% Grenache, 33% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah
Our 2006 GSM Red is a Southern Rhône Valley-style blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Its brilliant ruby color foreshadows the wine's bright fruit aromas, which are keyed on black plums, red cherries and cranberry, with smoke, cumin, rosehips and sweet oak tones completing the olfactory picture. On the palate, GSM is medium-bodied with well-structured tannins and pure red cherry, raspberry and cranberry flavors made more complex by notes of mint, tar, toast and cedar. A fine choice for near-term drinking, especially with barbecued chicken, grilled sausages and Mediterranean-style pizzas, this luscious red will age well for another 4-6 years.

2006 Syrah
76% Syrah, 17% Malbec, 7% Mourvèdre
Our 2006 Syrah entices with an intense garnet hue and a nose redolent of dusty cherries, blackberries, black pepper, smoke and brown sugar. The palate fulfills the promise with rich, ripe flavors of blackberry, black cherry, roasting game, spice, vanilla and smoke, all framed by ripe, supple tannins, vibrant acidity and a lengthy finish punctuated with a kiss of sweet vanilla. Although this succulent Syrah is hard to resist now with grilled and barbecued meats, it will develop additional complexity with another 7 to 10 years of cellaring.

2004 Ancestor, Estate Reserve
72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 5% Malbec
Ancestor represents the best our estate vineyard has to offer, without regard to varietal or blending parameters. This vintage is a classic Bordeaux-style blend with California intensity, softened by two years in the bottle. The 2004 Ancestor boasts a marvelously complex, sophisticated nose of rich cassis and blackberry fruit embroidered by vivid mint, cedar, tabacco leaf and cigar box tones. In the mouth, the wine's deeply extracted, cassis and blackberry liqueur flavors are balanced by sturdy young tannins, ensuring this luxury cuvée red will age beautifully in bottle for a decade or more.

Halter Ranch is home to an ancient Coast Live Oak. Surrounded by our vineyard, this tree has been designated one of the largest specimens of its kind. A witness to the ages, it stands as a symbol of heritage and preservation. We chose the name Ancestor for our Estate Reserve in honor of this ancient tree.