Nebbiolo Glenrose Vineyard 2023, Lone Madrone

Lone Madrone has been doing Nebbiolo in Paso for a long time, which already tells you something. Most wineries don't bother unless they are either stubborn, curious, or a little bit of both. In this case, that is a compliment. Lone Madrone’s wines are rooted in westside Paso farming and a low-intervention approach—organically farmed and dry-farmed sites where possible, native fermentations, and mostly neutral oak so the vineyard can do the talking. Their Nebbiolo has always come from the Glenrose Vineyard in the Adelaida District, a steep, limestone-rich site that makes a lot of sense for the grape. 

The 2023 lands exactly where we want California Nebbiolo to land: lifted cherry fruit, spice, dried herbs, and that dusty, slightly stern tannin that makes Nebbiolo interesting in the first place. It has some Paso sunshine in it, sure, but it still keeps its shape. This is not a plush red for zoning out. It is a red for people who like a little tension, a little savory edge, and a wine that gets better with food.

About the Winery

Lone Madrone was founded in 1996 with the goal of producing distinctive wines from vineyards in the rugged limestone hills of Paso Robles. Growing slowly yet steadily since, the focus is largely on vineyards that are dry-farmed and head-trained, which winemaker Neil Collins believes to be “the purest expression of the unparalleled terroir of west Paso Robles.” Neil also feels that when you begin with grapes from vineyards of this quality, in these outrageous soils, it only makes sense to “let them sing for themselves without being masked by our hands.” To this end, all the wines are fermented with native yeasts and aged in predominantly neutral oak barrels.