L'Aventure Stephan Asseo
Stephan Asseo, owner and winemaker at L’Aventure
Winery, began making wine in 1982, following his education at L’Ecole
Oenologique de Mâcon, Burgundy, France. In that same year, Stephan
established Domaine Courteillac in Bordeaux. He and his family later
purchased Ch. Fleur Cardinal, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, and Ch. Robin, in the
Côtes de Castillion, Bordeaux.
Over the next 15 years, Stephan developed into an artisan winemaker of fastidious craftsmanship and gained a reputation as a maverick vigneron. However, his true desire was to be more innovative than AOC law would allow. In 1996, this led him on a quest for a great terroir where he could pursue his ideal as a winemaker. After searching for over a year among the world's great wine fields, ranging from South Africa to Lebanon, and Argentina to Napa, Stephan found Paso Robles, one of California’s rising wine regions.
Stephan immediately fell in love with the unique terroir of west side Paso Robles. The rolling topography of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, the deep calcareous soils, and the maritime influence of the renowned Templeton Gap all combine to produce a world class wine country, with the potential to craft some of the world’s greatest blends. It is here, in Paso Robles, that Stephan began his adventure, ‘L'Aventure’.
The plantings cover 35 acres of grapes, mostly of red Rhône varieties (Syrah and Mourvèdre) and a small proportion of Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot). Optimus and Estate Cuvée are both Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blends, while the Côte à Côte is a Rhône blend.
In order to maximize quality in the harsh terroir, Stephan has established a high density plantation scheme of 2,100 vines per acre. A meticulous regimen of leaf pulling, shoot thinning, and cluster dropping result in benchmark yields of 2 to 2.5 tones per acre. This equates to one bottle of wine per vine. In addition, Stephan’s drive for fully mature fruit allows our grapes to express fully their character, in the form of intense, concentrated wines.
After the painstaking labour in the vineyard, they continue quality selection by hand sorting the grape bunches as they come in. The grapes are then destemmed and vinified in small lots to maintain the integrity of each source or parcel. Thermostatic control enables them to manage premaceration and fermentation flawlessly, with silky, rich wines as the result. Furthermore, aging in French oak and a minimal racking program contribute much to Stephan's artisan, handcrafted style.
Stephan, whose wines have won critical acclaim (97/100 points for its 2006 L'Aventure Estate Cuvee on the Wine Advocate) is now recognised as one of the Paso Robles leading figures who constantly try to ratchet up quality and make wines of richness and intensity.
Over the next 15 years, Stephan developed into an artisan winemaker of fastidious craftsmanship and gained a reputation as a maverick vigneron. However, his true desire was to be more innovative than AOC law would allow. In 1996, this led him on a quest for a great terroir where he could pursue his ideal as a winemaker. After searching for over a year among the world's great wine fields, ranging from South Africa to Lebanon, and Argentina to Napa, Stephan found Paso Robles, one of California’s rising wine regions.
Stephan immediately fell in love with the unique terroir of west side Paso Robles. The rolling topography of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, the deep calcareous soils, and the maritime influence of the renowned Templeton Gap all combine to produce a world class wine country, with the potential to craft some of the world’s greatest blends. It is here, in Paso Robles, that Stephan began his adventure, ‘L'Aventure’.
The plantings cover 35 acres of grapes, mostly of red Rhône varieties (Syrah and Mourvèdre) and a small proportion of Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot). Optimus and Estate Cuvée are both Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blends, while the Côte à Côte is a Rhône blend.
In order to maximize quality in the harsh terroir, Stephan has established a high density plantation scheme of 2,100 vines per acre. A meticulous regimen of leaf pulling, shoot thinning, and cluster dropping result in benchmark yields of 2 to 2.5 tones per acre. This equates to one bottle of wine per vine. In addition, Stephan’s drive for fully mature fruit allows our grapes to express fully their character, in the form of intense, concentrated wines.
After the painstaking labour in the vineyard, they continue quality selection by hand sorting the grape bunches as they come in. The grapes are then destemmed and vinified in small lots to maintain the integrity of each source or parcel. Thermostatic control enables them to manage premaceration and fermentation flawlessly, with silky, rich wines as the result. Furthermore, aging in French oak and a minimal racking program contribute much to Stephan's artisan, handcrafted style.
Stephan, whose wines have won critical acclaim (97/100 points for its 2006 L'Aventure Estate Cuvee on the Wine Advocate) is now recognised as one of the Paso Robles leading figures who constantly try to ratchet up quality and make wines of richness and intensity.
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