Ascension Cellars
Get the Dirt from winemaker Erick Allen
“As an avid wine lover, I was constantly on a quest for something better. I wanted elegance, body, and boldness in our wines. I wanted wines I would be proud to offer to our friends and family. This led to a fun, weekend hobby that gradually grew into home wine making and then evolved into wine that matters.”
Ascension Cellars is a boutique winery specializing in barrel select, handcrafted Rhone and Bordeaux style wines from Paso Robles’ rich, central coast. It was our aspiration to create superior, quality wines, unique in character, that our friends and family would enjoy occasionally or turn every day into a memorable occasion.
What was your first vintage year?
2010
How many cases do you make per vintage?
Our 2015 vintage release boasted around 800 cases.
Do you have a Tasting Room?
We currently do not have a tasting room; however, we are working on it!
If not you, who is your winemaker?
I am the main winemaker, but also collaborate - mostly with the blending - with the winemaker of Cass Vineyards, Sterling Kragten.
How did you get your start in the winemaking business?
As an avid wine lover, I was constantly on a quest for something better. I wanted elegance, body, and boldness in our wines. I wanted wines I would be proud to offer to our friends and family. This led to a fun, weekend hobby that gradually grew into home wine making and then evolved into wine that matters.
What wine made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery?
I fell in love with the hypnotic personality of the 1989 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape and wanted to capture its spirit in our wines.
What varietals do you work with?
Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, Petit Syrah, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Petit Bordeaux, Malbec, and Merlot.
Which varietal/wine is your favorite to make? Why?
Grenache inspired wines. We love the delicate, subtle nuances of this beautiful wine. Though our team is also partial to the intensity of Syrah. We belief wine pairs with life, and our lineup includes wines for every mood and occasion. Why be locked in to one grape or style?
What vineyards do you source from? Why?
Cass Vineyard, Frankel Vineyard, and Miracles Ranch. We were inspired by their focus on low yield, high quality fruit as well as the impeccable care of their vineyards. This gives us a lot of grape varieties to choose from in our blends, which is very exciting.
What type of oak treatment do you use? Why?
Medium toast French and American Appalachian oak barrels are our favorites as they bring out the true essence and quality of our red wines. We ferment and age our white wines in stainless steel for 3 months at which time they are blended to perfection and bottled the following January. Our Rhone reds see about 18 months in the barrel, from 25-50% new French depending on the wine. Our Bordeaux blends see 24 months in the barrel with about 25-35% new French. We like to us oak as a complement to the fruit and we try not to overwhelm the natural flavors with a lot of wood.
What do you love about your winemaking region?
Rhone varietals (the favorite of this winemaking team) thrive in the Central Coast region of Paso Robles. They have amazing depth of flavor and body but can still be elegant and structured if handled properly.
What makes it different /special?
The environment, soil, and people.
What's the story behind your name?
Our name is a collage of tributes: to our friends and mentors in Lake Arrowhead, who have been making wine together since 1968 and were kind enough to share their passion and knowledge for wine with us, we thank them; to our friends and family, who inspired us to create a wine celebrating our times together, we wouldn’t have done this without them; and to us, to great friends who have always aspired to make a wine that matters. This is how Ascension Cellars was born.
What's the story behind your label?
The design is based upon the dawn of each new day and the gifts that she brings to you. We try to picture the beauty of that sentiment in each label. Each photo is of the Cass Vineyard taken at a different time of year and location within the property.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
It is a lot of hard work amounting to about 50% winemaking, 40% marketing, and 10% regulatory/government hurdles. It is not the romantic endeavor, one would think, but it can be the love of your life.
We're curious…do you ever get tired of drinking your own wine?
Not at all! If you do, you are making it wrong. You have to make wines YOU love or it will be hard to sell them to other people…and ultimately that is the point.
Is it considered bad form to dip into your inventory?
Of course not! When celebrating a special occasion or just relaxing with friends and family, enjoying our own wine is like inviting a very dear friend to join us.
Do you still have a day job?
Yes, I am an interior designer.
For more information about Ascension Cellars, please visit their website.