OVERVIEW The 2020 Renegade comes from our estate Margarita Vineyard on the historic Santa Margarita Ranch. From missionaries to gunslingers, roughriders to outlaws, a colorful cast of characters has traversed the ranch’s rugged terrain since the 18th century. In that spirit, we have made an intensely flavored blend that pushes the envelope and resists conformity, adding an adventurous twist to our family of wines. Defiantly bold and daringly elegant—this is Renegade.

VINEYARD The 2020 Renegade is a Syrah-driven blend with complements of Malbec and Petit Verdot, all from Margarita Vineyard. The Syrah comes from Block 47 along slopes of ancient sea bed soils, where the fruit achieves deep, dark flavors with meaty richness. The Petit Verdot component comes from blocks 35 and 44. The own-rooted vines in Block 35 deliver fine mid-palate structure and concentration, while Block 44 brings varietal nuances of wet stone and pencil shavings. The Malbec from Block 45 provides rich red fruit flavors with a fresh, mouthwatering texture. Together, these varieties create a blend of breadth and dimension. Margarita Vineyard stands alone as the southernmost vineyard in the Paso Robles region, nestled into the rugged Santa Lucia Mountain range just 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean in the new Santa Margarita Ranch AVA. The surrounding mountain peaks are testaments to the tectonic forces that created Margarita Vineyard’s rare diversity of soils, ultimately fostering natural complexity in our wines.

WINEMAKING The winemaking vision of Renegade is to craft a bold Syrah-driven wine with the structure and finesse provided by classic Bordeaux blending varieties. Each lot was cold soaked for 48 hours prior to fermentations spanning 12 to 15 days. After fermentation, the individual lots were aged for 20 months in a combination of French (40%) and American oak (60%) barrels, including a total of 20 percent new oak. A majority of the Syrah was aged in barrels with medium-plus toasting to accentuate the varietal’s savory, smoky nuances. The Bordeaux varieties were matured in medium-toast barrels for pure fruit expression. In the final blend, Syrah sets the tone with deep black fruit and savory nuances. The Petit Verdot intensifies the overall color, nuance and tannin profile, while the Malbec brings juiciness to the mouthfeel. The result is a uniquely styled blend and a true Ancient Peaks original.

TASTING NOTES The 2020 Renegade presents heady aromas of dark fruits, blackberry cobbler, toasty oak and allspice. The palate unfolds with dense, mouthfilling flavors of fresh wildberry, boysenberry and blueberry, expanding into essences of roast coffee, peppery spice, woodsmoke and savory game. Gravelly tannins bring length and structure to a robust, juicy finish.

CUISINE PAIRING The bold, savory character of the 2020 Renegade is an excellent match for braised short ribs, lamb shank cassoulet, beef stew, smoked meats and truffle mushroom pasta.

VINEYARD: Margarita Vineyard

SOIL TYPE: Ancient Sea Bed Shale

VARIETAL COMPOSITION: Syrah 67%  Petit Verdot 27% Malbec 6%

HARVEST DATES: October 10 (Syrah / Block 47) October 31 (Petit Verdot / Blocks 35 & 44) October 29 (Malbec / Block 45)

AGING REGIMEN: 20 months in French and American oak barrels 

Alcohol: 14.7% pH: 3.85 TA: .69

Currently, The Good Pour offers in-store and curbside pickup for online orders at The Good Pour Longwood. We are working to launch shipping services for select states, so stay tuned!