|
|
|
|
HISTORY
Owner
& Winemaker-
wner/Winemaker” grew up in Santa Cruz (CA), and in
his first life, owned his own architectural firm for over
twenty years. But, his true roots in grape farming began
in Europe over several generations ago which inspired him
to get back to his roots "his second life" in
1995. His hands-on personal skills shine in this landmark
40-acre terraced hillside vineyard, and his UC-Davis oenology
education has gained him many enthusiasts among his club
members. Gianni's unique sense of balance has also transformed
his vineyard into a Pueblo village with ancient adobe style
architecture, an art colony/retreat, Native American cultural
spirit, and winemaking, all harmoniously create a balance
at his winery.
|
The
Name- "Wild Coyote" simply
comes from a pack of coyotes that hunted on his
land before it became a vineyard. This combined
with our greatest respect for all living beings
(especially coyotes with so many colorful mythical
traits) was the cornerstone of our trademark label.
Gianni’s appreciation of the Native American cultures,since childhood,
has significantly impacted his life and beliefs. He has become close friends
with many tribes and natives, particularly with the Taos Pueblo Indians. His
goal was to retire in Taos, but since it was not favorable for grape growing,
he then decided to bring Taos to Paso Robles, so he can feel at home. Both Gianni & Kati
(his wife) are artists at heart. Just about everything you’ll see is designed
and built by them. Their handprints are all over, from; design, architecture,
construction, landscaping, interiors, stone sculpture, pottery, painting, etc. “It
is all about labor of love for the things we are passionate about in life”.
|
The
Location- We are located on the Central Coast of California, which
is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. We are
only 7-miles west of town at an elevation of 1,800 feet in the
Santa Lucia mountain chain, 20-miles inland from the ocean,
hot days are contrasted with coastal breezes cooling the vineyards
in the evenings, which makes it so perfect for our Zinfandel,
Syrah and Merlot red-grapes varietal. From 1797 Franciscan missionaries
who introduced the first wine grapes to Paso Robles at Mission
San Miguel, to the 1960/1970s seeing a new generation of vineyard
pioneers (Wild Horse, Eberle, J. Lohr), to the recent migration
of the big-boys from Sonoma/Napa (Rabbit Ridge, Turley, Fetzer);
we all know by now that Paso Robles' quality is no longer a
well-kept secret. Wine enthusiasts are now learning and talking
about the quality of Paso Robles appellation wines and buying
them in record numbers.
|
Philosophy-
Our philosophy is to be a farmer first, and then a winemaker,
and as my grandfather used to say “if you grow good
grapes, you’ll have good wines”. Since the old
days of winemaking is long-gone, and most wines are now mass
produced with emphasis on taste and price. We decided to
trademark ourselves as “full blooded” meaning
we do everything on one site and under our control; from
growing the grapes, to harvest, processing, winemaking, storage,
and selling, all from our tasting room only.
To us it is all about being small, but be the best at what
we do. Even if it means that we focus on our (15) acres of
grapes, and less than 2,000 cases in total production annually,
then so be it. To us, quality is more important than quantity “and
up here it's all about pounds (of grapes) per vine not tons
per acre.” That is why we began at the roots, by transforming
our land by pushing through the rocky limestone topography
and terracing the hillside similar to the old-world European
style. The winery is a vineyard driven operation and we focus
lots of our energy into producing the highest quality grapes
possible. Also, we try to be very respectful to the Mother
Earth, by practicing sustainable agriculture, using solar power,
encouraging natural habitats, and recycling rain water, etc.
|
|
|
