In 1984, Factory Records owner Tony Wilson described praxis as "doing something, and then only afterwards, finding out why you did it." Sounds a lot more philosophical than our process of "doing something, and then only afterwards, deeply regretting it."
During a trip to the Italian Alps, Bill became fascinated by this varietal. We first tried Lagrein while on a hunt to see the remains of Utzi, the Alpine Ice Man and oldest natural mummy. (Susan was an archaeologist in her younger days). Pronounced Lah-GRAYHN or Lah-GRINE, this cool climate, high-elevation red varietal is a 500 year-old cross between Teroldego and Pinot Noir. The Praxis Central Coast vineyard has similar climatic properties and was the first American vineyard planted to the varietal. We believe we are currently the largest producer of American Lagrein!
The color of the wine is deep, saturated purple with red highlights. Aromas of Bing cherry, violets and dark roses evidencing the Pinot Noir heritage of the grape waft from the glass followed by hints of toasted hazelnut from the French oak. On the palate, flavors of pomegranate, blackberry and cherry are complemented by notes of dark chocolate and mocha on the finish. The wine is full in the mid-palate with a long finish and soft dusty tannins.
Owner Susan Arbios leaves a must-listen Vintner Vocemail about their unusual Lagrein.
Specs
Varietal Composition: 100% Lagrein
Appellation: Central Coast
Months in Oak: 20
Alcohol: 13.7%
pH: 3.78
Brix at harvest: 24.8
% Malolactic: 100%
Type of Oak: French Oak
TA (g/100ml): .56
Residual Sugar (g/100 ml): .02
Winemaker: Bill Arbios
Production: 420 cases
Specs
Varietal Composition: 100% Lagrein
Appellation: Central Coast
Months in Oak: 20
Alcohol: 13.7%
pH: 3.78
Brix at harvest: 24.8
% Malolactic: 100%
Type of Oak: French Oak
TA (g/100ml): .56
Residual Sugar (g/100 ml): .02
Winemaker: Bill Arbios
Production: 420 cases
Vendor Details
Praxis Cellars
Bill Arbios started Arbios Cellars with a mere 125 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon in 1993. Production has grown to about 3000 cases. Bill began Arbios Cellars as a way to fulfill his personal dreams as a winemaker, rather than just a vagabond vintner for other people.
In 2000, Bill created Praxis Cellars to broaden the scope of the wines he produced. Arbios is our “serious” wine so Bill wanted to create a distinct label for our other wines. Praxis is derived from the Greek word for practice as a doctor or lawyer practices their craft. Praxis was also a pre-Arts and Crafts philosophy in Europe espousing the importance of striving for perfection while knowing that it will never be fully achieved. Since launching our second label, we have also found that it is a moon of the Klingon home planet in Star Trek and a verb for domination in an on-line vampire game.
In the Praxis wines, Bill can practice his craft with different wine varietals from various wine regions of California. Although Bill’s winemaking reputation was built upon his blended meritage wines at Lyeth, Praxis wines are not blended. The wines are all 100% of their grape varietal and are from a single vineyard, so Bill can play with the expression of the fruit in a number of ways such as the amount and type of oak he uses.
