Piedra Creek Winery

About Piedra Creek Winery

Piedra Creek Winery was conceived atop a small knoll in the heart of the MacGregor Vineyard overlooking the beautiful Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo, California.

In 1984 Piedra Creek Winery became the smallest bonded winery in the Edna Valley, if not the state of California, originally producing only a couple hundred cases of estate sourced Chardonnay.

The ultra small batch wines quickly gained notoriety. The grapes used would not come from a selected vineyard, nor from blocks within vineyards, but rather from only the best sections of the 55 acre Chardonnay vineyard. The result: only the best fruit would be used to make the finest wines possible.

In 1999, San Floriano vineyard was planted and Piedra Creek Winery moved. The unique and meticulous practice of hand selecting only the highest quality fruit played a fundamental role in the formation of San Floriano vineyard.

Today, Piedra Creek Winery Estate wines are sourced exclusively from the San Floriano vineyard, which was planted with the fixe of producing highest quality fruit. Compact spacing and short rows, are all planted within walking distance of the winemaker’s house. This allows for the utmost attention to detail, resulting in the highest quality of farming, cultivation, grape growing and wine making practices, building on the heritage of Piedra Creek.

Romeo Zuech (Founder)

Founder

ROMEO ZUECH

Romeo, affectionately known as “Meo” by his family and friends, was born and raised in the Northern Alto Adige town of Brez, Italy. In 1950, after serving in the
resistance army for the Allied Forces in WWII, he moved to the United States.

For 30 years he worked as a successful Aerospace Engineer for Rocketdyne International, in Canoga Park, California. He created numerous metal alloys that were used in various NASA space projects; he was highly recognized for his contributions in the Apollo projects, responsible for landing the first man on the Moon.

After retiring from Rocketdyne in 1983, Romeo and his wife Margaret moved to San Luis Obispo and began Piedra Creek Winery. What began as a passion quickly became a business for Romeo and Margaret when they realized how many people adored their wines.

2013 marked Piedra Creek’s 30th anniversary, Meo celebrated more than 36 years of wine making and grape growing experience in the Edna Valley, and more than 60 years experience of blending individual elements to make a greater whole. As a wine maker he implemented practices ranging from field blended co-fermentation to the use of ultra small fermentation vessels to extract some of the more illusive and delicate features of the wines. It’s been said that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make a great wine… but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Vineyards

SAN FLORIANO

The Edna Valley AVA is located approximately half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles within San Luis Obispo County along the Pacific Coast.

Its unique geography runs west to east which allows cool ocean breezes to funnel in to the valley from the north. Crisp mornings give way to long sunny afternoons making for a mild climate that is ideal for grape growing, and boasts one of the longest growing seasons in California. The soil too has a heavy maritime influence, consisting of chalk, loam, clay and dark humus, with sub-soil comprised of calcareous marine deposits left behind millions of years ago when the valley floor was under water.

San Floriano Vineyard is located in one of the coolest sections of the Edna Valley AVA, allowing the fruit to mature over an even longer growing season, enabling the development of thick skin fruit, and subsequent complex flavors and structure, perfect for winemaking. This boutique vineyard of only 2.5 acres boasts seven clones of grapes from three different varietals, carefully selected based on soil, climate, and terroir.

Three clones of Pinot Noir, two clones of Chardonnay, and two clones of Lagrein comprise the San Floriano vineyard. The vines are cared for and pruned to produce the highest quality fruit possible, and because the vineyard surrounds the winemaker’s home, tending to each plant has become an obsession, from bud break to vinification. Practicing the belief that 90% of the wine is made in the field, and living within the same environment in which we grow our fruit, state of the art, sustainable, environmentally conscience-farming practices are employed at all cost.

BENITO DUSI

The famous Benito Dusi Ranch is located in Paso Robles, approximately 40 miles North of San Luis Obispo. The vineyard is best known for its high quality, old vine Zinfandel grapes, which are grown on 90+ year old vines.

Benito Dusi Zinfandel is dry farmed and head pruned, and has been one of the premier vineyards of Paso Robles from the start. Piedra Creek has been producing Benito Dusi Zinfandel since 1979, the first vintage for sale was in 1986.