The name AmByth is Welsh for "forever," and little about this Paso Robles estate is built for the short term. The vines are dry-farmed, the wines see no additions, and the philosophy looks generations ahead.
Backstory
Phillip Hart grew up on a mountain sheep farm in North Wales. He bought 42 acres near Templeton in 2001 and 2002 and planted the vineyard with his son Gelert. AmByth earned Demeter biodynamic certification in 2006, becoming the first winery in the Paso Robles area to make Demeter-certified biodynamic wine. Hart was also among the first local producers to travel to Europe to study ancient winemaking and to import terracotta amphorae from Italy. Gelert and his wife Robyn took over full-time winemaking and viticulture in 2015, carrying the family vision into a second generation.
The Region
The estate sits on a saddle ridge atop a hill in the Creston Valley area of Paso Robles, on California's Central Coast. The marine air of the Templeton Gap funnels inland and cools the site, helping the dry-farmed vines retain acidity and balance in a warm climate.
Vineyards & Farming
Of the 42 acres, about 20 are planted to vines and 22 remain woodland. The head-trained vines are dry-farmed entirely without irrigation, rooted in classic Paso Robles soils, a recessed ancient sea bed of sandy calcareous clay loam laced with mineral-rich shale and chunks of limestone. Farming is fully biodynamic across four blocks named Mark's Vineyard, StoneCross, Terrace, and PlayGround.
Winemaking
The wines are made as naturally as possible. Fermentations run on native yeast, fruit is foot-stomped, and the wines are aged and bottled with no added sulfites and no adjustments or enhancements. The terracotta amphorae and other neutral vessels keep the focus squarely on the fruit.
The Wines
The vineyard grows ten varieties, mostly Rhone and Mediterranean grapes: Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, and Grenache Blanc. The range spans reds, whites, rose, and skin-contact bottlings, all dry-farmed and additive-free, expressing this single hilltop site with unusual purity.
