Native lupines found on the vineyard property are reminiscent of the fields of bluebonnets that greet the spring in the Brady’s native Texas. Nestled in the Estrella Valley, Brady Vineyard is just far enough inland from the Pacific Ocean to build heat daily, but still close enough to enjoy the nightly cooling of maritime breezes. Established in 2001, the 24-acre site is ideally situated for world-class viticulture, with vines rooted in the gravelly soils that form a rolling alluvial terrace overlooking the Estrella River. Here, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah vines are planted at a density of 908 vines per acre, grafted onto rootstock and bred to seek out available water and nutrients in the sparse ground. Because of the inherent poverty of the site yields are limited to a scant 4 tons per acre, boosting intensity and concentration from the vines. All of these elements together result in rich, fully-ripened grapes, ideal for producing big and bold Paso Robles red w**es. Don Brady’s family roots are in Texas, the progeny of a farm and ranching heritage dating back to the first Texan pioneers. In the early 1980s, Brady joined the modern-day pioneers of the new Texas w**e renaissance, helping to re-establish a thriving w**egrowing industry in the lone-star State. In doing so, Brady oversaw production of the most-awarded w**es produced in Texas. In 1991, Brady was awarded the Texas W**e and Grape Growers Association’s highest honor, the “Louis F. Qualia Award” for outstanding contributions and leadership in the Texas w**e industry. Presidents Ronald Regan and George Bush were served Don’s w**es at several White House functions, in addition to English royalty – Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. Following his successful tenure with Texas icons such as Pheasant Ridge W**ery, Llano Estacado W**ery, and Ste. Genevieve W**es, Don Brady and his wife Kasi relocated to Paso Robles, California. Here, Brady was first employed as senior w**emaker at Delicato Family Vineyards. While there, he earned worldwide acclaim for his part in leading the Delicato team to their receipt of the International W**e and Spirits Competition’s “United States of America’s W**emaker of the Year Award” bestowed to Delicato Family Vineyards for their w**es’ cumulative performance. The next chapter in Brady’s w**emaking odyssey took him to Robert Hall W**ery. In 2001, he joined Hall’s start-up w**emaking venture as W**emaker and Director of Operations. From the beginning, the w**es crafted at Robert Hall have earned their place at the forefront of Paso Robles offerings. So much so that in 2006, Brady was named the “Central Coast W**emaker of the Year” by the California Mid-State Fair. Following this honor, in 2010 Robert Hall W**ery bested more than 600 w**eries with over 3,000 entries and became the first Central Coast w**ery ever to be awarded the “Golden State W**ery of the Year Award” by the California State Fair, the oldest and most prestigious w**e competition in North America. Presently, Don Brady continues to reside in Paso Robles, leading the team at Robert Hall with his goal of “capturing the essence of the vineyard and fashioning quality w**e by coaxing the best product possible out of each vine.”
Brady Vineyard w**es are the result of years of perseverance, patience and experimentation, and part of W**emaker Don Brady’s a continuing adventure with w**e. This adventure focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon as these w**es, when finely crafted, best capture the “sense of place” and rustic terroir that is Paso Robles. Each vintage harvest gets underway as soon as the fruit has reached full maturity, in about mid-October when vegetative flavors have subsided and prior to any shriveling of the grapes. The grapes are picked utilizing a mechanical harvester that sorts and cleans the grapes as they are being harveste,d eliminating the need for de-stemming and crushing. Following the picking, the grapes make the short journey to the w**ery where they are transferred to small stainless tanks and inoculated for fermentation with FX-10, a yeast stain known to bring out the best in Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation and maceration lasts about 8 days and is assisted by three traditional hand pump-overs each day to maximize color and flavor release. Color and tannin levels are monitored daily to determine optimum maceration, or contact time. Subsequent to maceration, the w**e is drawn off and the skins gently pressed, with the pressed w**e added back to the free-run. After a short settling period, the w**e is then racked into French oak barrels where it completes malolactic fermentation and is matured for 18 months. Prior to bottling, the w**e received a final racking to stainless steel where the blend was assembled and the w**e was prepared for bottling.
