Adelaida Cellars
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: The new tasting room for Aelaida Cellars opened in March 2016 and is located a short driving distance from the vineyards. Look for several types of wines including the Rhone-style wines.
Adelaida Cellars is a family owned and operated winery. The winery and vineyards are owned by the Van Steenwyk family. The winery was built and the Viking Vineyard purchased in 1991. Currently the family owns several other vineyards. In addition to growing grapes on the property they have 700 acres of walnuts that date back to 1940.
Tasting Room
Wine enthusiasts to Adelaida Cellars will discover the new tasting room located on the second level of the A-shaped building. A long deck with tables and chairs is just outside the tasting room entrance. The main room is large and accommodates a U-shaped tasting counter. One wall has a stone fireplace. A shelf has glass cylinders displaying the different soils in each vineyard. A large spiral shaped chandelier formed with a barrel hoop and mini lights adds a comfortable feel to the room.
Two additional rooms are located on the sides of the main room. One is for special tastings while the other room is a relaxing area set aside for wine club members. Adelaida Cellars has three wine clubs: Tribe Quarterly Club, Tribe Custom Club and Tribe Club with a total of 4,000 members.
While in the tasting room, view the cylinders that hold rocks and soils from the different vineyards. You can see the differences in the soils and then taste the wines to see if you can note differences that may be attributed to the soils.
Vineyards
Adelaida has five vineyards: HMR, Anna’s, Michael’s, Viking and Upper Viking and Bobcat Crossing.The vineyards rest at 1,600 to 1,900 feet elevation and consist of 160 acres. The vineyards spread out over picturesque rolling hills. Two vineyards are on the property Anna’s Estate Vineyard and Viking Vineyard that was purchased in 1991. Anna’s Estate Vineyard was named for their grandmother. One-third of the acreage is dry farmed. All of the grapes are hand harvested during the cooler nighttime hours. Those grapevines that need water are carefully watered with just a minimal amount. The Adelaida Cellars vineyards are CCSW Certified. The designation is for Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing.
Winery
The winery production area is located behind the tasting room building. In the winery, an optical scanner is used for sorting grapes. Solar energy provides up to 100% of the winery’s needs. The Adelaida Cellars winemaker is Jeremy Weintraub (pictured right). Jeremy has an M.S. in Viticulture and Enology and has been making wines at Adelaida Cellars since 2012. Prior to 2012 he was making award winning wines at Seavey Vineyard in Napa.
Adelaida Wines
Our wine tasting was accompanied by bread/olive oil, almonds and dried fruit. The wines tasted and described below are all Adelaida District sub-AVA of the Paso Robles AVA.
Rosé 2015 was produced with grapes harvested about three weeks early. The winemaker had the grapes on skins for two hours. This was a blend of Grenache, Carignane, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Counoise and Syrah. The wine had a peach color with an orange hue. The crisp wine offered notes of citrus notably grapefruit and some strawberry. The wine had a crisp finish with fruit yielding to a chalky aftertaste.
Anna’s White 2014 was a blend of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Picpoul Blanc and Roussane. The wine was a light yellow color. The aroma suggested a tropical fruit salad. The taste included citrus, melon and peach. The crisp finish had fruit yielding to mineral.
Pinot Noir HMR Vineyard 2014 was cold soaked prior to fermentation. The wine was a translucent ruby color. There were notes of raspberries followed by strawberries. The wine had mild tannins with a medium/full body. The finish was crisp and fruity yielding to mineral.
Reserve Syrah 2012 Anna’s Vineyard had 15.8% alcohol. This was an opaque dark ruby color wine. The wine offered notes of red and black raspberries and blueberries. The mouthfeel was smooth. The wine had medium/bold tannins and was full-bodied.
Cabernet Sauvignon Viking 2013 Signature Series (signature of the owner) was an opaque dark ruby color and offered juicy berry fruit notes. The wine included black raspberries and baking spices. The wine had chewy bold tannins and was full-bodied. The fruit yielded to baking spices.
Zinfandel Michael’s Vineyard had 15.5% alcohol. The grapes for this wine were dry farmed. The wine was a barely opaque ruby color. The wine offered notes of a berry fruit salad. Terry wrote that this wine was delicious. The wine had mild tannins and a medium to full body. This is a “dangerous” wine as it would be easy to drink the entire bottle without knowing it.
Visit Adelaida Cellars winery and discover the many wines they have available. Plan to spend some extra time to enjoy a glass of wine on the deck. While visiting, ask about their walnut production.
Adelaida Cellars
5805 Adelaida Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
GPS: N35º 38.744’ W120º 48.090’
Article written April 2016
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