NEWBIE INTRO: Stereophonic Wine

Hi Berserkers!

I’m a long-time lurker (on and off since 2009) and often came to WB for inspiration in my previous life as a fine wine retailer (in Berkeley, CA). I’ve met a handful of Berserkers off-line and was finally encouraged to join up and participate.

Stereophonic Wine is my project in tandem with winemaker Aaron Jackson of Aaron Wines in Paso Robles.

Aaron and I first met roughly a decade ago when his first vintages were being delivered by pickup direct from Paso. My focus was wines of Europe, but I had to admit that his early wines were excellent, and surprising to me since they focused on Petite Sirah. He then dazzled me again with a varietal-defining take on Viognier and it was then I knew he was a real talent. After he completed a stint with Justin Smith at Saxum (2012-2013), his winemaking went to the next level, in particular his Rhone blends, and critical scores have followed - he’s hit 95 with both Vinous and Jeb Dunnuck.

During that same era, we were visiting my wife’s family in Alsace and Campania and I became obsessed with Aglianico. I began to taste and collect Taurasi extensively. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and I realized I wanted to bring our international family together through wine.

So one day, I asked Aaron if he could find me any Aglianico. Previous attempts had failed so my hopes weren’t high. A day later, he had two vineyards. And he was really curious about my weird quest. He asked if I had anyone to make them. Well I did now. Six months later I tasted the wines and I realized I wasn’t a retailer anymore. I had to follow this where it went and try to contribute something useful to the world of wine that I loved so dearly.

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In 2018, we and our two young boys moved to Napa. Our family are wine geeks to the core (my wife worked for Winebow Imports for a decade and now works for DuMOL) and we love to cook and wine really brings our international family together.

Our plan was to officially launch Stereophonic on March 16, 2020. You may recall something that happened around then…

Stereophonic Wine is where our “multi-disciplinary” approach to wine - its relation to art, music, literature and culture - is matched with Aaron’s meticulous, layered style - and Aaron and I challenge each other to make unique wines that showcase the incredible potential of the Central Coast. Our releases to date include Aglianico, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño, some genre-bending approaches to Rhône blends as well as a really special bottle of Syrah. You’ll see that our inspirations from winemaking range from traditional to modern to totally left-field and our choices are informed by our wide experience in tasting the wines of the world. The last thing we want is to make the same old wine.

SUPER IMPORTANT: We love Central Coast wines but our wines are not your typical Central Coast wines. We’ve worked really hard to combine concentrated fruit with energetic acid and tannin and limited oak influence to make something uniquely representative of our American and European backgrounds.

I’m thrilled to be able to offer these micro-lots (everything is 50-200cs production) to the discerning and enthusiastic Berkserker hordes. I appreciate getting a chance to showcase our beautiful wines made with atypical inspirations - and I appreciate being a part of a community that loves wine in the all-consuming way that we do!

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Thanks for giving us a shot -
please make sure to check out our offer on Berserker Day
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised -
and contact me anytime at jason@stereophonicwine.com

Looks great! I LOVE the 2018 John Sebastiano Syrah from Dragonette, so I’m looking forward to experiencing your take on this great fruit.

You had me at…

SUPER IMPORTANT: We love Central Coast wines but our wines are not your typical Central Coast wines. We’ve worked really hard to combine concentrated fruit with energetic acid and tannin and limited oak influence to make something uniquely representative of our American and European backgrounds.

Looking forward to your BD Offer and debut!

Very cool!

When I heard Aaron Wines are involved…

Aaron is one of my favorite Paso winemakers. Some of his Pinot’s are absolutely fantastic. I’m looking forward to this offer. Thanks!

It is really an incredible vineyard! There are days where I taste JSV fruit (ours and other great producers) and think to myself, “Why isn’t this the most famous Syrah vineyard in America??” I look forward to your tasting notes.

Thanks! The vineyards produce such top quality fruit that it can turn out great wines in a variety of styles. For lovers of European wines with a soft spot for California, our wines offer a different version of what’s possible.

For sure. He is really inspired by Dehlinger which I think is pretty intriguing for a Paso winemaker. He is focused on developing the quality of cooler westside Paso and coastal sites and the SLO terroir - and Stereophonic has really reaped the benefits of his explorations in those areas!

He has a Pinot that we picked up on our last trip up there, I believe the fruit is sourced from either Arroyo Grande or Pismo Beach, it is really well made. Anyways, I’m looking forward to trying your offering!

I’m thrilled to see you launching Stereophonic Wine Jason!

Jason should take at least 41% credit (fault) for us launching our own winery. Back in the day at Solano Cellars he introduced us to more great vineyards, producers, and wine than any other person since. Through his incredible wine knowledge, enthusiasm, and brilliant recommendations we can go back in our cellar on occasion and grab wines he sourced us from Chave, Levet, Bea, Clos Rougeard to name a few. These are wines that continue to inspire us. I look forward to some more tasting inspiration from Jason with Sterephonic Wines!

Thanks Rob. I fondly recall wasting long afternoons at the wine bar talking wine - that’s what I miss the most about the place! Let’s get together when it’s safe and share each other’s new stuff.

Look forward to seeing your offers and hopefully tasting some great vino!

Thanks kindly. Stay tuned!

As both an audiophile and audio professional, I love the name alone. I look forward to trying your offerings!

Thanks Bob! Music is a big part of what we do. Our next website update will include music playlists for all our wines and this is a mockup of the what will be included in our Fall shipment. (No actual record, but a swanky gatefold jacket for holding all club release notes and other swag)

Love the albariño description… “It’s not Galicia, but it’s damn good”

Love it!

Thanks John. I know it sounds like an old Colt 45 slogan - but it’s true!

I’ve been getting inquiries about the wine styles and tasting notes since our website isn’t fully fleshed out in that way:

Here’s some background on our production that will help you understand our style:

WINE NOTES
(Tasted over this past week)

Here’s what we made in 2017:
2017 Good Company Aglianico: This is, I think, one of the most varietally accurate Aglianicos in America. Hot asphalt and black cherry jam.On the palate, tannic and mouthwatering with fleshy fruit. Very well structured with shape and drive. Mix of cherry, blueberry and cranberry fruit and a hint of sticky Paso pectin. True Southern wine, serious, powerful and occasionally a bit forward. Finish of baker’s chocolate, blue fruit and white pepper with lasting acidity. We made 54 cases in old oak. The vineyard was torn out due to red blotch, so we are looking for another Aglianico source.

2017 No Chains Can Hold You: This is a blend based on Aglianico from our other site, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petite Sirah. Silky strawberry fruit with black pepper and licorice notes on the nose. Acidity keeps the wine dancing but it is a softer, lither profile with a finish of strawberry jam, citrus oil and herbs. It most closely resembles a Cerasuolo di Vittoria or perhaps a Mondeuse/Trousseau type red. We made 84 cases in old oak.

Here’s what we made in 2018:
2018 Endless River Gruner Veltliner, Paragon Vineyard, Edna Valley:

“This wine slaps. And despite my natural urge to avoid complimenting you, it seems unavoidable that I tell you this is good.”

• A well-known importer of Austrian wine.
  I love Gruner Veltliners and we drink them often. The combination of fruit, complexity and versatility are tough to beat. The rows for this Gruner come from right next to Graham Tatomer’s and while our expression is a bit more mouthwatering than his, it’s obviously the prime part of the site. This wine is in a great spot right now, with citrus zest, mint, tonic water, green pear and slate character. The finish is really malic and the objective was to capture a Sancerre/SB style acidity with pith and juiciness. Complex and chuggable at the same time. I repeat, this wine has acid for DAYZ. We made 189 cases in stainless steel.

2018 Starblanket Red Blend, Paso Robles: This is our grilling by moonlight wine. Peppery, plush and an iridescent purply hue, it’s the most “shut up and drink it” of the Stereophonic set. Equal parts Petite Sirah and Grenache, we wanted a wine that was warmer than Bernie’s wool mittens and would show off the versatility of Paso Petite. The Grenache is from Spanish Springs and by itself had a strong Des Tours character but just wasn’t balanced enough to stand on its own. Petite filled in the blanks. 60 cases made in old oak.

2018 Une Autre Fin Est Possible Syrah, John Sebastiano Vyd, Sta. Rita Hills: There’s definitely a style of Syrah that tastes like what Pinot could be in a Parallel Universe, and that’s what we captured with a couple barrels here in 2018. These are picked right next to the Faethm/Fingers Crossed section but obviously the wine turns out differently. The winemaker and I had a serious debate over this wine - he wanted to blend it up with heavier barrels, I honestly think you can’t make this wine better in any way. It’s pure, ultra-fragrant and deliciously complex. And I think for lovers of Allemand-style refinement, you will be mighty impressed. We made 60 cases with fully destemmed fruit in old oak. This was going to be added to the list at a two-star SF restaurant but the pandemic put the kibosh on that. Still, a nice recognition for a newbie.

2018 The Dream of Spring Central Coast Red Blend: The other barrels of John Sebastiano Syrah were more deeply pitched and structured and presented a different version of the wine, which was convenient as we had some Mourvedre and Grenache with similar builds, focusing on limestone sites. The focus was on concentration, length, complexity and elegance. We added a small amount of PS in order to lengthen the finish. This is still very early in its evolution. I had Eric Texier in mind when we were making this. We made 179 cases in old oak.

Here’s what we made in 2019:
2019 Blue Desert Albarino, Morro View Vineyard, Edna Valley: We wanted to make a wine that captured the visceral power of the Pacific Ocean so we looked for a grape that was used to harsh climes. The Morro View site produces a very late pick with quite a lot of acidity. The fermentation ran on forever and the resulting wine is something that we’re proud of, although it wasn’t always easy going. Green-tinged apple and pineapple notes and a pristine, Alto-Adige like mouthfeel make for a very brisk, clean and persistent wine. We made 215 cases in stainless steel.

Not Yet Released:
2019 Untitled Malbec, Briarwood Vineyard, Paso Robles - This is a large vineyard in the Templeton Gap amidst rolling hills, clay soils and with the big diurnal shift the area is known for. It produced a really supple, varietally perfect Malbec with pressed flower tones, ample red and black plum and a finish that’s lightly herbal and tannic. The objective here was to do something like the new wave of Argentine producers - ripe but elegant and with less reliance on whomping, toasty, astringent oak. I really love the flavors of Malbec but I think there’s too much extreme winemaking - cheap, tanky, chipped wines or massively oaked trophy wines. We tried to style it a bit in a “Margaux” fashion - amply fruited but delicate and accessible - and clearly differentiated from other Bordeaux varieties. This was aged in once-filled barrels. Malbec doesn’t need to be a cheaper version of Cabernet to be awesome. We were inspired by Bodega Noemia and Bodega Aleanna (El Enemigo).

2019 Untitled Cabernet Sauvignon, Mader Vineyard, Diamond Mtn, Napa, CA - Sits on the exact border of Diamond Mountain District and Sonoma and is closest to Armstrong Ranch (half a mile), an old site that is used at Lerner Project, at Provenance as a single vineyard, and was a St. Clement Vineyard designate a long time ago. It also makes up a little bit of Beringer’s Private Reserve Cabernet Program. This is a 35-40 year old vineyard planted pretty widely spaced and information on clone was never kept. We picked at 25.5 brix and put it into new medium toast barrels from Saury and Atelier CF. The wine is concentrated and fairly modern profile Diamond Mountain character - red and purple fruit, floral tones and less firm than Diamond Creek or Von Strasser. I’d compare the wine as it tastes right now to Andy Erickson’s work at Arietta. I think Aaron did a great job and we plan to produce more Napa wines as his style suits our fruit up here.

A big thank you to everyone who checked out our wares on Berserker Day 12. We sold a lot of wine and a lot of books and I honestly can’t really believe it all happened. I can’t wait to start up the conversations that will begin from this special day. And for those of you reading this who weren’t around for BD12, make sure you put BD13 on your calendar early, you won’t want to miss this.