Templeton Gap, California
“AmByth has three magical chords that run through our very core and shape our every thought, direction, decision and action: we are 100% dry-farmed, we are a certified Biodynamic farm, and we are natural winemakers.
AmByth is the Welsh word meaning 'forever'. We view it as our legacy: to live and farm to our heart's content in Templeton for the remainder of our lives... but also to farm with the future in mind, and the healthy condition of our land being left behind.
AmByth Estate is Paso Robles' first winery to produce Demeter certified Biodynamic wines. We utilize the Biodynamic method of farming to enhance our observations of nature, and use these intimate insights as tools that allow our 20 acres of vineyards to express their true character through the grapes it produces. We want our grapes to be as unique to AmByth Estate as your thumbprint is to you.
We are Natural Winemakers: we let the grapes express themselves into wine without the aid of additives, adjustments or enhancements. The wines are made with Native Yeasts, they are foot stomped, they are aged and bottled without any added sulfites. Some are aged in barrel or Vitrified Clay Eggs, others are beautifully aged in Terra Cota Amphoras. They are Pure. They are Alive. They are Fresh.”
LOCATION
Right in between Los Angeles and San Francisco and just south of Paso Robles and north of San Luis Obispo, the estate vineyards are situated on a saddle ridge atop a nobby hill in the middle of a vortex thats known as the Templeton Gap. Cool Pacific Ocean air filters through the Santa Lucia Mountains along the central coast and gets pulled almost every day into the Creston Valley extending West to East, making our appellation 5 or more degrees cooler than surrounding areas. This wind also helps keep the vines dry and free of mildews and molds and doesnt allow large colonies of bugs to establish throughout the growing season (which helps with our theories of farming). Steep hillsides allow the plants to extend their dry farmed roots into ancient substrate of sedimentary rock and deposits of Limestone, Sandstone, Calcarous Clays, and Clay Loam. A mixture known as Linne Calodo. This minerality and acidity the vines extract from the ground can easily be identified in our estate wines.
DEMETER CERTIFIED BIODYNAMIC WINES
AmByth Estate is Paso Robles’ First Winery to Produce Demeter Certified Biodynamic Wines. We gained our certification from the Demeter Association in 2006. We utilize the Biodynamic method of farming to enhance our observations of nature, and use these intimate insights as tools that allow our 20 acres of vineyards to express their true character through the grapes it produces. We want our grapes to be as unique to AmByth Estate as your thumbprint is to you. The estate consists of 20 acres of vineyards and 600 olive trees dedicated to Biodynamic farming principles since their initial planting. 20 acres of untouched oak forests surround the vineyards.
The Vines
We have 4 vineyards within the 42 acre estate, (20 planted plus 22 acres of woodlands). All vineyards are dry-farmed, head-trained, thus reducing our dependency on irrigation and energy. They are steeply sloping, requiring much of the work to be accomplished on foot. We believe all of these factors influence the depth and unique character of the wines of AmByth Estate. Our vineyards: Mark’s Vineyard, StoneCross, Terrace, & PlayGround. Our varietals: Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, & Grenache Blanc.
The Soil
Our soil is classical Paso Robles Linne Calodo, a recessed sea bed composed of sandy calcareous clay loam with mineral rich shale and chunks of limestone. Every season our soil is rejuvenated with our own aged compost inoculated with biodynamic preps.
The Chickens
How lucky our chickens are! The portable coop is moved daily throughout the vineyards allowing the chickens to range freely among the vines, eating insects, and scratching the soil while fertilizing it at the same time with their manure. They mix with the dogs and the cats, making themselves right at home. The chickens’ eggs are used daily to feed our families and winery guests during wine events.
The Livestock
We believe cows & sheep, especially female cows with horns intact, strengthen our farm with their presence. They enliven the land with their valuable manure, aerate the soil with their hooves, and are an excellent source of weed control. We let them loose in the vineyard during the winter months to mow the cover crop and wild grasses that grow.
The Bees
We keep bee hives in the middle of the estate, between Mark’s Vineyard and StoneCross. The bees play a vital role in pollination throughout our estate: pollinating our gardens, fruit & nut trees and native landscape plants. The gentle buzz of their flight from flower to flower is music to our ears. We are very sensitive to plants that attract bees, as a result, we leave many weeds throughout the vineyards and estate just for them to enjoy.
The Trees
Part of our plant diversity and development of natural habitats for predators is the integration of trees. We have 600 Spanish varietal olive trees, and we produce dry-farmed, estate Biodynamic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, that is for sale at the winery. We always have oil cured olives on hand in the tasting room. We also have over 100 fruit and nut trees.
Scarlett and the girls