Herman Story Wines -- His Grandson Tells the Tals
Russell From came to the art of winemaking a bit late…he was 38 in 1997 when he decided to take the plunge. But once he made the move, he really….well, moved.
After a stint at Langhorne Creek in Australia, he spent a few years dragging hoses and doing whatever else at a custom crush facility.
“It was winemaking boot camp,” he recalls. “If it had anything to do with crushing grapes and helping the juice turn into wine, I did it.” It was a four year hitch, and during that time, he worked with about 20 small wineries and several larger ones.
“We crushed 2000 tons a season,” he says. “A lot of work, but I learned the craft and the process from top to bottom. And I started making my own wine at that facility.” He brought out his first vintage of Herman Story in 2001 (“all seven barrels”) and formally started the winery in 2004.
So, what is the story on Herman Story? He was Russell’s grandfather, and there’s some info about him on the back label. According to Russell, Herman wasn’t a winemaker, but was a “rancher, logger, swapper, banker, philanthropist, and teller of tales.” Pretty colorful.
From a marketing standpoint, it seems to me he takes his inspiration from Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non: whimsical names for the wines, avant-garde labels, and new label art for every wine he makes. Not a bad way to go.
But the real interest here is in the wines Russell puts out under his grandfather’s name. He’s not one for the glamour of a fancy tasting room or gift shop on the main drag, even though he does run a small, simple tasting room in downtown Paso Robles. (His winery is between a store that sells welding gas on one side and a tire shop on the other. The whole place backs up to Route 101). But from that modest winery Russell produces about 4,500 cases a year of Grenache and Syrah blends and, oddly enough, full-bodied, round and rich whites made from Rhone varietals.
I asked him about that. Why take a chance on Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, and other types that aren’t all that popular or well-known among American consumers? After all, most of what we know about California whites is all about Chardonnay, and maybe some Sauvignon Blanc.
“I make what I want to make,” he says. Period. And we’re glad he does, because his “Tomboy” white is a stunner. There’s hearty citrus, but not the orange or grapefruit you might expect. No, this is tangerine, and cinnamon, and a bunch of other stuff that makes me wish I had a few more bottles in the cellar.
Herman Story wines are not all that easy to find, but well worth the search. I was walking down the street in Los Olivos about a year ago, and found a wine shop that had some in stock. I bought it all.
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