Heart Hill Vineyard is located in the Willow Creek District of the Paso Robles AVA, on the Westside. The site is named for the iconic grove of oak trees, shaped like heart. The heart was shaped in 1956 by the Booker Brothers, who lived on the land for nearly 100 years, and has retained it’s signature shape ever since.
Paso Robles is a large AVA with extreme variation in climate and topography. The Willow Creek District is defined by steep, rolling hillsides and a cooler climate than much of the region. The coastal breezes that sail through the ‘Templeton Gap’ in the Santa Lucia Mountain Range give the vineyard a respite from the summertime heat. That cadence of warm days and cool afternoons and evenings create an ideal climate.
The soils at this site are diverse, and vary by the hillside with large swaths of either Siliceous or Calcareous Shale deposits. Below those highly-regarded and sought after topsoils are layers of close to 90% fractured shale. Grapevines must descend deep into this shale to find water, creating strong root systems that lead to powerful wines.
The site is planted to a diverse set of Cabernet Sauvignon clones alongside Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Smaller pieces of the site are planted to Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carménère, Zinfandel, and Grenache Blanc.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the jewel of this site, thriving in the warm afternoons and cool evenings.
A scientist with a degree in Microbiology, Patrick has been making wine for over two decades. He is responsible for crafting all of the wines from Heart Hill Vineyard. He has a partner in Molly Bohlman, who is our Winemaker responsible for making Jespersen Ranch wines.
