McPrice Myers Beautiful Earth Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Viticulture

Grapes sourced from Paso Robles AVA

Vinification

Components were de-stemmed and fermented separately in small open top bins and stainless steel tanks. Wines spent 15-20 days on the skins, with a combination of pump-overs and punchdowns during fermentation. Aged 18 months in 225, 228, & 265-liter French oak barriques, 60% of which were new.

Tasting notes

Roasted black cherries, marionberry, crème de cassis, cardamom, lavender flower, curing tobacco leaf, cedar cigar box, pencil shavings, Tahitian vanilla, espresso bean, chocolate truffle, muddled spearmint, star anise, braised venison, birchwood smoke. Warm, inviting spices, deep and lavish, suave fruits; astutely
poised in a polished and deliberate finish.

Winery Description

Named the 2024 San Luis Obispo County Winemaker of the Year, McPrice is a winemaker who has been solemnly crafting distinctive, terroir-driven wines on California's Central Coast since 2002. Known as “Mac,” McPrice Myers takes his Irish paternal surname as his first name and uses the traditional Irish Claddagh symbol as the winery's logo.

At the age of 19 he began working at Trader Joe's and once he reached 21 he was accepted into the company's in-house wine program, which gave him the opportunity to learn about the fine wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, and California in France that were only available in their stores. This experience inspired him to save up and at the age of 25, he drove his own truck to Santa Barbara's Santa Maria Valley and eventually to Paso Robles, where he purchased a ton of Syrah from Lerner Vineyards in 2002. McPrice's “soil first” approach to winemaking became well known to local farmers and ranchers, and he built solid relationships with local grape growers in Paso Robles. 

With a focus on “the land,” McPrice established a winery and tasting room in 2014 on the third-highest hill in Paso Robles, a site that was previously the first Paso Robles winery. On a clear day, you can see as far as Big Sur and the Pinnacles. The vineyards have five different soil types, with steep slopes ranging from 450 to 610 meters in elevation, and are about 19 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean.