There are key differences between growing and making Bordeaux-style wines in the Bordeaux region of France and in Paso Robles, California. Let’s explore how varietals like vedot and malbec can produce outstanding, varied wines due to these regional distinctions. 

PASO ROBLES 

What makes Paso Robles such a unique winegrowing region? How does its limestone soil influence our Paso Robles wines? 

Unlike Bordeaux, Paso Robles is a relatively young wine region. The Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) is large – stretching from the Monterey County border in the north to Cuesta Grade in the south, and from the Santa Lucia Range in the west to the Cholame Hills in the east. This area covers more than 614,000 acres, but it’s still dwarfed by the massive Bordeaux Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), which covers more than 2.5 million acres. Only about 5% of the Paso Robles AVA is planted to wine grapes, compared to nearly 10% of Bordeaux’s AOP. 

Just like Bordeaux, Paso Robles includes a range of distinct growing regions. However, Bordeaux is divided into more than 60 individual appellations, while Paso Robles is still classified under a single AVA. 

WEATHER 

Bordeaux averages more than 37 inches of rain annually. Paso Robles receives just 15 inches on average, [1] with almost no rainfall during the growing season. Bordeaux, by contrast, experiences summer rain, early fall rain, and even hail. 

Paso Robles has warm growing season temperatures, with daytime highs ranging from 85 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. However, those hot days are mitigated by cool ocean air that causes nighttime temperatures to drop by 40 to 50 degrees. These temperature swings allow grapes to fully ripen during the day while retaining acidity at night – an ideal combination to develop complex flavors.  

Bordeaux’s summer temperatures are much cooler. Early frost and fall rains require winemakers to harvest cabernet sauvignon in September – typically a full month earlier than in Paso Robles. 

SOIL 

Both Paso Robles and Bordeaux benefit from limestone soils that benefit cabernet sauvignon – but in different ways. Bordeaux’s Médoc region is known for gravel mounds that drain extremely well. Paso Robles, on the other hand, has clay-loam mixes that help retain water, allowing many vineyards to dry-farm. 

Paso’s calcium-rich soils help preserve acidity, which is crucial because grapes tend to lose acidity the longer they hang on the vine. Thanks to its climate and soil, Paso Robles cabernet tends to have softer tannins, riper fruit character, and a fuller body than their Bordeaux’s more structured, age-worthy style. 

SUMMARY 

While climate and soils set the regions’ wines apart, their winemaking philosophies bring them together. In both Bordeaux and at JUSTIN, winemakers believe in blending to create more compelling wines. This ideology is at the core of Bordeaux winemaking, and it’s what connects these regions the most.  

At JUSTIN, even when crafting a 100% cabernet sauvignon wine, we blend several different vineyard blocks together to make a better wine. Both JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery and the Bordeaux wineries that inspired it believe that the sum is greater than its parts when it comes to winemaking. 

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[1] Rainfall varies widely throughout the Paso Robles region. The JUSTIN Estate vineyard, 18 miles west of the town center, averages closer to 30 inches of rain, while parts of eastern Paso average less than 8 inches.