$38.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits in Arkansas (AR)
92 points – Wine Enthusiast
79% Syrah / 21% Petite Sirah
100% aged in French oak barrels – first year aged separately and then blended and aged an additional year.
“Syrée” is derived from Syrah and cuvee (blend)
Ripe black fruit, dark chocolate with toast and bacon notes. Earthy with spicy notes. Smooth tannins.
Hans Nef from Zürich, Switzerland founded the winery in 1997. His professional background was in civil engineering and real estate forming his own consultancy firms in both fields. In the early 1990s, he acquired two large agricultural properties in Arkansas. Around this time he also started his own wine import business, importing wines from California and other regions to Switzerland. In 1996, he acquired land in Paso Robles fulfilling his dream of establishing a winery in the New World. His idea for a winery was to connect his European roots with the wine region of Paso Robles.
“I want Vina Robles to express a unique balance of European heritage and American opportunity. As individuals, we are rooted in the Old World. As viticulturists and winemakers, we are empowered by the New World.” – Hans Nef
When he started his Vina Robles project in 1996, Nef chose a longtime friend and business associate Hans –R. Michel, a Swiss expatriate, as his managing partner. A year later, they planted the first of their six estate vineyards in Paso Robles beginning the birth of Vina Robles. Michel’s background was in the farming business in Switzerland. From 1975 to 1981, he was an agricultural consultant. In 1982, he left Switzerland and took a position in Tennessee with a farm management company. In 1983, he was transferred to Fresno, California where he established a branch office managing crops in the Central Valley. This is where he began his involvement with California viticulture. He returned to Tennessee to start his own agricultural firm, Agriworld. Hans and Nef met in the early 1990s, when Michel managed Nef’s rice and soybean farms in Arkansas. Michel left Agriworld to start his own vineyard management firm Viticultural Management Inc. (VMI) in Paso Robles.
As partners, Nef and Michel built Vina Robles to become a significant presence in Paso Robles. Their six estate vineyards that have been sustainably farmed certified since 2012. In total, they comprise 1,500 vineyard acres. They produce 40,000 cases per year. The Vina Robles Hospitality Center opened 2007, followed by the Vina Robles Amphitheater in 2013 which hosts 30 world-class artists per year.
Their first winemaker was Mattias Gubler from Switzerland who made this 2007 wine. His winemaking experience includes stints in Switzerland, France, Italy, and Mendocino County.
Kevin Willenborg was hired as Vina Robles winemaker in 2012. He is a versatile winemaker with over 30 years of experience including Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Sonoma, and California’s Central Coast. He received his formal winemaking training at the University of California at Davis. His career started with an internship at Château Pétrus. He also worked at Louis M. Martini, the Rubicon Estate in Rutherford, California, and Firestone Vineyard in Los Olivos, California.
