The Boundary Pusher, Just Like Mom
“Have you heard of Kolhapur?” asks Neeta Mittal, co-owner of LXV Wine in Paso Robles.
I had not.
“It’s a small bustling town in India that is a vibrant fabric of cultures, old traditions, new ideas, intimate social circles and individual personalities. That was my childhood — there was a constant endeavor to excel, and a burning desire to express.”
Upon further research of Kolhapur I find a lot of similarities between the city and SLO County. Both are prosperous agricultural regions, and because of the access to natural resources, Kolhapur became an important commercial city.
And like Cal Poly is to SLO, a university established in Kolhapur in the 1900s named Shivaji University was integral to the development of the area, helping pave the way for fresh ideas, creativity and the injection of new businesses, a perfect melting pot of the old and new influences that created the environment in which Neeta was raised.
As the daughter of a Maharashtrian mother who loved experimenting with flavors and a South Indian father who came from the spice capital of the world, food also plays a large part in Neeta’s memories from childhood. The meals were traditional, “but always painted by a fusion of flavors,” describes Neeta. She recalls her favorite meal, biryani — layers of basmati rice “delicately flavored by marinated meat and whole spices, that Aai made. It took two days to cook and two days for us to savor, creating complexity with every passing hour. Biryani always imparts a very vivid memory, a longing for Aai’s hugs.”
Aai is Neeta’s mother, who remains a major influence in her life. As recounted by Neeta, Aai was one of the first people in her village to be traditionally educated. She walked miles, barefooted, in the scorching Indian sun to attend school. That determination took her through her career, from which she retired as head of a biotechnology university. “She was my inspiration in everything,” shares Neeta, “academics, relationships, conduct and purpose.”
And with that, Neeta came to the United States in 1999 to earn a master’s degree in engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
. It was in Berkeley that she met Kunal, her now husband and business partner, when they were bitten by the wine bug and often visited Napa, which then led to their traveling across continents to explore various wine countries.
When the duo discovered Paso Robles, they were reminded of the Tuscany landscape but the culture of India. Happenstance meetings with winemakers like Ron Denner, Amy Butler and Tom Westberg, and grower Pebble Smith of James Berry Vineyard, inspired them to dip their toes into winemaking. After receiving standout advice from Ron on the importance of location when it comes to a vineyard, Neeta and
Kunal found a slice of Willow Creek terroir nine years ago, and have called SLO County their home ever since. “Everything that we have learned here has been through meaningful associations with extraordinary people,” says Neeta, gratefully.
Neeta and Kunal founded LXV Wine (LXV being both the name and the essence of the business) inspired by the 64 arts of living from old Indian scriptures. Along with the mantra that “LXV aims “to heighten your senses through beautifully crafted wines and unparalleled spice pairings,” Neeta and Kunal stress that the guest is the 65th art — it’s the taster that is the LXV.
The spotlights are on the cabernet franc, Kunal’s favorite, and the sangiovese, Neeta’s muse. There is a focus mainly on Bordeaux and Italian varietals, sourced from the Willow Creek appellation as well as other exclusive vineyards in Paso Robles, such as Denner Vineyards, Jada Vineyard and ONX Wines, and in Santa Ynez, from White Hawk Vineyard and Happy Canyon Vineyard. The wines are Old World in style, with an emphasis on the balance between intensity and complexity.
Just like drinking LXV’s wines, visiting its tasting room in Downtown Paso Robles is a sensory experience, and one that ties in the flavors that Neeta loved as a child. “It is very important for us,” she says, “given the urban downtown location, that we create an ambiance that envelops the guest.” From Indian food and wine pairings, to once-in-a-lifetime events, like the wine dinner with Peruvian restaurant Mistura, where every course was paired with an LXV wine as well as a form of performing art, every interaction with the label and the team is an immersive experience.
It’s that worldly outlook, that joy of bringing it all together and the dramatic presentation that make LXV truly a brainchild of Neeta, who, like her mother, just can’t be stopped.
