JanKris Riatta 2009, Paso Robles
Q: What's "JanKris?"
A: JanKris is a winery in the Paso Robles AVA. It was established in 1990 by Mark and Paula Gendron. Their daughters January and Kristin are the company's namesakes. In early 2008, JanKris Winery was acquired by Matthew Talbert, who renamed the winery Veris. Veris produces wine under three labels: JanKris, Ben Hogan, and Vita Nova.
Q: And what's "Riatta?"
A: It's an estate-grown blend of Sangiovese (80%) and Zinfandel (20%).
Q: What does "Riatta" mean?
A: Riatta (or riata) was a rope made from horsehair or grass, and sometimes braided from rawhide. They were used by California’s vaqueros to handle livestock. These days, riatta are more commonly used for showpieces because they are too bulky to use for roping.
Q: What does the wine taste like?
A: The wine shows a moderate deep garnet color and evident viscosity. The aroma of coffee underlines a bright fruit tone. The flavor is an attractive reflection of the fruit with medium fullness in the mouth. Backed with a pleasantly crisp acidity, there are soft, lingering tannins in the finish. At least, that's what the winery tasting notes say … You'll have to try it for yourself!
Q: Where are the grapes grown?
A: In one of three Veris estate vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA. The three vineyards are Gevrey’s (60 acres), Bragevan (10 acres), and Amy's (60 acres). The grapes for Riatta come from Amy's Vineyard.
Q: What can you tell us about Amy's Vineyard?
A: It's in the Templeton Gap sub-region of Paso Robles. It has rich, calcareous soils that are typical in this cooler microclimate. Varietals at Amy's Vineyard include Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, and Syrah. The vines are bi-lateral cordon trained, and they are allowed to sprawl and flourish. Sustainably farmed, the vines yield about 3.5 tons per acre.
Q: What got you interested in this wine?
A: Caitlin Snow from the winery met me at alegria wine and ware in San Luis Obispo to taste several Veris wines. Later, she reminded me that I'd particularly enjoyed the Riatta, and reported that it had recently received very good critical acclaim.
Q: What critical acclaim?
A: The JanKris 2009 Riatta was recently selected as Sangiovese "Best of Class" in the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition … 68 Sangiovese wines won medals, but only this one was "Best of Class." Overall in this competition, some 60 judges worked through 5,500 wines to come up with more than 80 best of class awards.
Q: And what made this JUST ONE WINE this week?
A: I liked it. It won a prize. There wasn't much available in our area, and it's offered at a great price. And I really wanted to recognize a Paso Robles wine this week, immediately following Paso Robles Zinfest … and this one has Zinfandel in the mix!
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