Authentic Paso Robles Style – Meet Josh Beckett, Co-Owner of Peachy Canyon

Over the past few years, I’ve visited Peachy Canyon Winery in Paso Robles and tasted their wines. Perhaps you, too, have seen the super-sized Adirondack chair that beckons wine lovers into their tasting room located at 1480 N. Bethel Road just off Highway 46 West. It wasn’t until April, though, that I had the chance to meet Josh Beckett, co-owner and Director of Operations of the winery, when he was a participant on a panel discussion about the Willow Creek AVA during the Wine Writers Educational Tour held in Paso Robles.

Like so many winemakers, owners and others in the industry I’ve met in Paso Robles, Josh was approachable and gracious – and more than ready to share his story and insights about Peachy Canyon Winery that specializes in hand-crafted small-batch Bordeaux and Rhone varietals, and Estate Zinfandel. A few weeks after the event, I caught up to Josh on the back porch of the Peachy Canyon Old Schoolhouse tasting room that boasted beautiful vineyard views and a relaxed vibe.

 

 

But first, a bit of backstory. Nancy and Doug Beckett, Josh’s parents, founded Peachy Canyon Winery in 1988. Prior to that time, Doug was a classroom educator, then a high school counselor in the San Diego area. Before leaving education, he was a full partner in a small chain of convenience stores until 1981 when he, Nancy and their two sons, Josh and Jake, moved to Paso Robles. Doug became a carpenter, made wine with a friend, developed land, sold real estate and started his own import-export company specializing in art glass from Eastern Europe. Nancy was a dance teacher and continues this profession to this day. After almost thirty years of Peachy Canyon Winery ownership, the couple retired in 2019 and handed the reins to their Josh and Jake.

Raised in Paso Robles wine country, winemaking was a natural part of Josh’s life. Although the intention was not to return to Paso after college, both Josh and Jake made their way back home and joined the Peachy Canyon team. Josh became Head Winemaker and Jake was Head of Sales and Marketing for a period of time. After a five-year commitment elsewhere, they returned to Peachy Canyon in 2019.

“We wanted to see what was going on. What was working? What wasn’t working? What do we need to clean up?” shared Josh. “Ten years ago, we were producing 100K cases of value-driven wines per year and now, intentionally, we’re doing less than 20K cases per year. We want to focus on our vineyards, winemaking and the production of quality wines.”

The strategies are working. Peachy Canyon Winery is producing notable wines and clearly poised for the future. All of the winery’s vineyards are farmed using sustainable practices. By-products are composted then reintroduced int the soils every other year, barley is grown between rows to help deter erosion, cover crops are planted and canopy management minimizes the risk of mildew. Weeding is mostly done by hand.

Water conservation is of paramount importance and the Peachy Canyon team waters individual vineyard blocks during the growing season “to maximize the quality of the fruit, minimize water waste and reduce runoff.” Pest management includes the use of beneficial bugs and a special organic stylet oil is used to manage leaf hoppers, a common insect in the area, and nets to prohibit birds from eating the berries are in place.

Josh explained that Zinfandel, Rhone and Bordeaux varietals are cultivated in five estate vineyards and one vineyard-designate, Bailey Vineyard. All vineyards are on the west side of Paso Robles and each offers unique terroir which, in turn, allows Peachy Canyon to showcase the range of microclimates found in the region.

 

The Old Schoolhouse Vineyard in the Templeton Gap AVA was purchased in 1996 from Kendall-Jackson. At the time, Cabernet Sauvignon and some Zinfandel were cultivated. In 2015, the vineyard was replanted with 18 different clones from 18 different “geographically diverse, historic Zinfandel vineyards in California” – the plantings mirror UC Davis’ Heritage Block. Almost 3 acres of Malbec and about 13 acres of Zinfandel are cultivated on calcareous soil. The AVA’s long, warm days, cool nights and ocean influence help retain the grape’s acidity.

Planted in 2019 in the Willow Creek AVA, the 10.6-acre Thibidot Vineyard is on limestone soil on west facing hillsides offering optimal conditions for Carignan, Grenache, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Zinfandel to thrive. “Our own-rooted Zinfandel is here. 2022 is the first vintage of this crop,” stated Josh.

Surrounding the winery facility off of Lake Nacimiento Road is the 55.7-acre Mustard Springs Estate, Peachy Canyon’s “home ranch vineyard” and their largest. A former almond farm, 34.7 acres of vineyards on steep hillsides are planted to dry farmed, head-pruned wines – 21 acres are irrigated and trellised. Soils are placed on an alluvial plain and limestone with excellent drainage. Mustard Springs is also the site for the winery’s D-Block vineyard, a reference to UC Davis’ Heritage Zinfandel project. There are 18 unique Zinfandel clones that UC Davis isolated “amongst the oldest and healthiest of California’s Zinfandel vineyards.” Also cultivated are Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise that’s used for rosé), Carignan, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Low yields and hands-on farming help ensure quality wines.

Purchased in 1997 and replanted from Chardonnay to Zinfandel and Petite Sirah in 2003, Mustard Creek provides conditions for these varieties to flourish. Thanks to steep rocky slopes with deep soil over limestone rock for the Zinfandel and rolling hills over calcareous material with a light layer of topsoil for the Petite Sirah, wines reflect terroir with bright acidity and minerality.

The Snow Vineyard was purchased in 1996 and replanted in 2018-2019 to Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon – a total of 13 acres with topsoil covering clay loam. This vineyard is the hottest in the summer and coolest in the winter, yet the soil is able to hold water so that less irrigation is needed in the growing season. Hand picked and hand pruned, high quality fruit from low yields makes this vineyard unique.

Throughout our conversation, I felt the excitement for the present as well as the future. Josh mentioned how much he finds “joy in experimenting” with clones, stem inclusion, native ferments… He loves working with Bordeaux varietals and Syrah yet finds Zinfandel “fickle.” Now, though, Zinfandel cultivated in various vineyards at Peachy Canyon “has more flavor, shows more complexity and balance… it’s interesting!”

When Josh mentioned that he visited the Rhône Valley earlier this year, I was curious to hear his impressions. “As we walked the vineyards in Hermitage it was mind blowing to see the density of the vines and the minimal growth per vine. In the Rhône, the vineyards are more important than anything. Winemakers are just a small part of the business. For example, Beaucastel employs 1.5 workers on average in the winery full-time and 25 full time workers are in the vineyards. That is what they understand and realize more than us. Here, we praise the brand and the winemaker and rarely talk about the vineyards. To have more focus on the vineyards is my take-away.”

The “now” is notable and the future is bright at Peachy Canyon Winery – learning and experimentation on Josh’s part doesn’t end. Clearly, you’ll want to taste what Peachy Canyon is offering in the glass today and anticipate the excitement to come. Bring a picnic lunch, sit in the old-fashioned gazebo and sip delicious, quality wines as you enjoy this special piece of Paso Robles. Please click here for more information about visiting.

I’m guessing that if Josh Beckett is at the tasting room, he may stop by and share more of his story. That’s just his style – a true example of Paso Robles.

Cheers! ~ Cindy