Press Gang Cellars Cuvee Milo Red Blend 2018

Cuvee Milo is a Rhone-style GSM blend from Press Gang Cellars, a micro-production label run by Kyle and Savanna Knapp out of Lompoc, California. The wine draws from two distinct Santa Barbara County appellations: 47% Grenache Noir and 15% Mourvedre from La Certe Vineyard in the Los Olivos District AVA, and 38% Syrah from Robert Rea Ranch, located at the eastern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Only 160 cases were produced.

The Grenache and Mourvedre from La Certe come from the Los Olivos District, a broad alluvial terrace along the Santa Ynez River with gravelly fine sandy loam and clay loam soils of low to moderate fertility. Elevations within the appellation range from roughly 400 to 1,000 feet. The Syrah from Robert Rea Ranch grows at the cooler eastern boundary of Sta. Rita Hills, where sandy loam and marine-influenced soils slow ripening and preserve acidity.

Kyle Knapp ferments with native yeast and employs a cold soak before fermentation. He typically incorporates around 25% whole cluster and uses extended barrel aging. The result is a wine with the freshness and transparency typical of low-intervention winemaking, while still reflecting the warm-climate concentration of Santa Barbara County Rhone fruit.

Aromatically, the wine shows blue and black fruit, black currant, blueberry, cocoa powder, anise, graphite, and roasted meat. It is layered and structured without being heavy, with a profile that sits comfortably between a Provencal GSM and a cool-climate California Syrah-driven blend.