Behind the Label: Fulldraw
Entertainment choices were limited in Fairfield, Iowa when Connor McMahon was a kid.
“Growing up in the Midwest it was either wrestling or the outdoors,” the winemaker and founder of Fulldraw Vineyard in Paso Robles said during a Zoom tasting. “I got into competitive archery, shooting and did a little hunting. That’s reflected on the labels, I wanted to include something close to myself on them. The archery term for when the bow is pulled all the way back is Fulldraw, and that’s what we named the vineyard in 2013.”
Both the front and back label have a slice running through the bottom third which signifies where the imaginary arrow of the archer passed. It cuts right through the words "FULLDRAW” on the back label.
The striking artwork on the front labels are different for each wine. While vacationing, McMahon and his wife Rebecca, a Paso Robles native who runs the day-to-day business operations of the winery, always visit local art galleries.
In 2017, they spotted the painting for Honey Bunny while walking through a small town on a snowy day in Colorado.
It was a painting by California artist Michael Bryan that caused McMahon to ask his wife, “how awesome would that be on a wine label?”
A student of war history, specifically WW II, the painting where there’s an image of a plane with snarling shark teeth near the propeller and a Hollywood starlet hugging a tiger, would be commissioned for the syrah/mourvedre blend.
honey bunny 2019
The artwork for Fulldraw Honey Bunny grenach/mourvedre was discovered at a Colorado art gallery.
Fulldraw Hardpoint is an homage to the McMahon family’s shorthair pointer, Yadi.
Seated at his desk for the Zoom tasting, Connor McMahon reached back for a sculpture of a dog.
The Hard Point label is an homage to Yadi, their shorthaired pointer, a dog breed McMahon said has always been a part of his family.
Because Rebecca has a background in graphic design she was hands on in label creation. For Hard Point, she carved her interpretation of the sculpture into wood, dyed it, printed it and then took a photo for the label.
Notice the line running through Yadi’s legs, where the imaginary arrow has traveled. It’s fitting that man’s best friend is on the Hard Point label, as grenache is also McMahon’s favorite variety.
“Grenache is the variety that drove me to wine,” McMahon said. “It’s purity and complexity, especially from California, is special. There’s something inherent in the grenache. There’s a beautiful acidity that lines the palate.
Like Yadi feigning attention for a belly rub, McMahon is very hands on in the vineyard with grenache. The vines want to produce six to eight tons per acre. When fruit set occurs, half is dropped. Eventually, he hand manicures each cluster to his desired shape.
Fulldraw Chopping Block features a cleaver from the McMahon kitchen.
The clever on Fulldraw Chopping Block is in the McMahon kitchen.
Both Connor and Rebecca enjoy crafting home-cooked meals for their family. In a moment of inspiration, Rebecca took notice of the way her husband slammed the cleaver into a chopping block and instantly went for the camera.
As McMahon grows his label and Paso Robles continues it’s expansion, is the Wild West nature of the AVA in danger?
There’s a freedom in being unshackled from restrictions, whether legal or economical, when it comes to variety selection. Wine grape growers and winemakers do as they please in a rather creative laboratory where no one variety is king.
Even as Paso grows, McMahon thinks it maintains that identity.
“There are a lot of new restaurants and new wineries in Paso,” McMahon said. “I still see a lot of owners/operators in tasting rooms, hotels and restaurants. That’s been a cool thing to watch.”