Railsback Frères / Roman Ceremony
California
Brothers Eric Railsback & Lyle Railsback
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Railsback Frères began as a rosé project in 2015 by brothers Lyle and Eric Railsback,.
They named their rosé “Les Rascasses” (scorpion fish in French) in tribute to Lulu Peyraud, proprietress of Domaine Tempier in Bandol - home of their favorite rosé in Provence. Lyle did National Sales for legendary French importer Kermit Lynch for twelve years before leaving to focus on this Santa Ynez project. His brother Eric started Lieu Dit wines in Santa Barbara, inspired by wines of the Loire valley, and owns Verve Wine shops in NYC, San Francisco and Chicago.
“Eric approached me when he found access to some Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault in Santa Ynez,” says Lyle, “and we produced our first rosé with the ‘original recipe’ of Bandol: direct-to-press, vinified and aged in old wood, and with malolactic completed. Two years later we partnered with Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria, where we now make the wines using only wild, native yeast fermentation. In addition to our dry rosé, we also now make small lots of other Southern French grape varieties, including Vermentino, Carbonic Carignan (à la Maxime Magnon in Corbières), an inky red Mourvèdre, and Syrah from Bien Nacido that’s made entirely without the use of SO2.”
Wines
Les Rascasses Rosé 2021
Syrah Bien Nacido “Cuvée Spéciale” 2020
- 100% Syrah
- 60% whole clusters
- Santa Maria, CA
- Vineyard: 100% Bien Nacido - “Z-Block” at 700 feet elevation
- Soil: Los Osos clay loam and Franciscan shale over marine volcanics
- Aging: Neutral French oak barriques for 16 months, bottled without fining or filtration
- Production: 2,640 bottles
Coming from the steepest “Z-Block” at Bien Nacido vineyard in Santa Maria, reminiscent of the slopes of the Northern Rhone in France. In 2020, the tiny bunches of Syrah grapes allowed for an increased percentage of whole bunches in the blend (60%) as practiced by many of the brother’s Northern Rhone heroes and they also went away from the total sans soufre approach they tried in previous vintages.
Syrah Nolan Ranch “Cuvée Chlöe” 2020
- 100% Syrah
- 25% whole cluster
- Los Alamos, CA (Santa Barbara County)
- Vineyard: 100% Nolan Ranch
- South-facing limestone ridge with San Andreas Tierra & Chamise shaley loam soils with 30-75% slopes.
- Aging: 14 months in neutral French oak
The most joyful cuvée named after their sister Emily’s baby girl Chloe - the true highlight of the 2020 vintage. A blend of 3 parcels from the geographically diverse Nolan Ranch, their goal was to create a wine with the tension and finesse the brothers love in their favorite bottles from the Northern Rhone. Fermented with a small percentage of whole bunch and given an additional year of élévage in neutral French barriques.
Grenache Noir “Cuvée Speciale“ 2020
- 100% Grenache Noir
- 50% Whole Cluster
- Los Alamos, CA (Santa Barbara County)
- Wild yeast fermentation
- Vineyards: 50% Nolan Ranch (Alban Clone); Alisos Canyon AVA
- own-rooted vines in San Andreas tierra loam soil with 30-75% slope
- 50% Shokrian vineyard (clone 362) Alisos Canyon AVA (previously known as Melville’s Verna’s Vineyard)
- sandy loam, nutrient-deficient soil
- Certified organic with biodynamic practices
- Aging: 14 months neutral French oak
Inspired by the ancien régime of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and grown in two organic farms in Los Alamos that enjoy a strong maritime influence, the goal was to create Grenache with freshness and crunchy flavors.
Roman Ceremony 2020
In 2018 the Railsback brothers began making Cabernet Sauvignon with the Murphy family and winemaker, Dieter Cronje at Presqu’ile Winery and bottled it as a private label for a New York City Michelin-starred restaurant. The response was outstanding so in 2020 they contracted additional vineyards to produce just over 1,000 cases. Given that it didn’t fit into the Provençal origins of their “Railsback Frères” label, they named it “Roman Ceremony,” a celebration of the birthplace of wine.
Place:
The Cabernet Sauvignon for this project was sourced in a partnership with two organic vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley. One is within the Happy Canyon AVA with a south-facing orientation on gravelly loam and studded with diverse rocky galets. The second is in the Los Olivos AVA on a bench-like terrace of fine, sandy loam with clay subsoil, and was planted to budwood from Cheval Blanc and is lovingly farmed with the application of a biodynamic worm compost tea.
The 2020 vintage
enjoyed optimal ripeness, tempered by the transverse valley of Santa Barbara County which protected our vines from the fire damage so unfortunate in growing areas to the north and south. While considered a riper-style vintage than others in recent history, the team harvested on the earlier side (between 23.3 and 23.9 brix) and after tasting from the barrel at the beginning of this year, the juiciness, accessible style, and use of only neutral barrels for a release at the beginning of July.
- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vineyards: Santa Ynez Valley (Happy Canyon AVA & Los Olivos AVA)
- 10 months neutral French barrique
- 13.3% alcohol