The Vineyard
Seven Oxen Estate Wines is a limestone-rich vineyard located in the rolling hills of Paso Robles’ Westside, straddling the Templeton Gap and Willow Creek sub AVAs. Proximity to the Pacific Ocean means the southwest-facing slopes are cooled in the evenings by coastal breezes, which allow the vines to maintain balanced levels of acidity despite extreme summer heat. These climate conditions result in a long growing season, which, combined with unique topography and soil composition, make the site an ideal location for growing high-quality grapes. Founding Winemaker and Vigneron, Bastien Leduc, practices organic and biodynamic farming techniques to ensure the health and longevity of the vines. The vineyard is farmed using innovative as well as tried and true old-world techniques to minimize the impact on the natural environment and to maximize the quality of the estate and the fruit grown on it. The 130-acre estate includes 26 acres of organically-farmed head-trained vines planted in ten distinct blocks. The vineyard was originally planted in 2003 and 2005.
our dirt
In 2012 the Seven Oxen team had 18 soil test pits dug and analyzed by French laboratory, Laboratoire Analyse Microbiologique des Sols, to guide our farming, irrigation, and replanting decisions in the vineyard. Our Estate sits on Nacimiento loam derived from calcareous shale, which was formed over geologic time by the lithification of marine sediments composed of foraminifera shells and other organic material. The result is soil rich in calcium and magnesium that is very active biologically, and that bio-activity is integral to the vineyard’s terroir. There's a history of life recorded in the soil and rock underlying our vineyard — the concentrations of calcium and magnesium in the shale strata represent organisms that lived during the Miocene Epoch.
