Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/764739
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J a n - F e b 2 017 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 6 3 represents the wide open spirit of the west." Fittingly, it comes from some very wide open and remote p l a c e s o n t h e C e n t r a l C o a s t , including Hames Valley, San Anto- nio Valley, Arroyo Seco and Cass Vineyard in Paso Robles. With the newly released 2014 version of this wine, a stout black- berry, cocoa and bramble-infused Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend designed for steakhouses, Baldini says, "Winemaker Paul Clifton has hit the sweet spot. We barrel- ferment the lots in French oak for added intensity." The wine is aged in oak for 26 months. Boneshaker, with its glow-in-the- dark label, is currently at around 30,000 cases. The winery's nod to the premium Zinfandel market, it's sourced from old vines farmed by the Mettler family in Lodi. Every- thing else is pure estate. Says Baldini, "The family name is on the label, and we're going GRAPE PROCESSING SYSTEMS-QUALITY YOU CAN RELY ON Decades of experience, know-how and innovation combined in our grape processing systems. Your advantage of Scharfenberger built equipment: German Engineering, easy Operation and cleaning with proven performance. Call to customize your crushpad today! Euro-Machines est. 1986 GRAPE PROCESSING SYSTEMS More about our products: www.euromachinesusa.com / info@euromachinesusa.com West: 707 864-5800 East: 540-825-5700 through a generational change. We want to focus on the SLH and the Lucienne tiers as our flagship." The family's second generation of leadership has, indeed, taken over the reins, with Philip Hahn the international face of the company as chairman since 2007. His sisters and mother, Gaby, are very involved in the top-tier Lucienne brand, work- ing with long-time winemaker, Paul Clifton, to craft wines that deliver trademark snapshots of their 650 acres of beautiful mountain proper- ties, including Doctor's, Hook, Lone Oak and Smith vineyards. Clifton, a Monterey Bay area native, ditched the idea of a white collar financial service job after graduating from college to pursue life on the ski slopes while working as a firefighter. But the lure of wine brought him to Bernardus, where he worked under Don Blackburn, then was off to Byington in the Santa Cruz Mountains as assistant wine- Winemaker Paul Clifton crafts wines that deliver trademark snapshots of the winery's beautiful mountain properties.