Penman Springs Vineyard Paso Robles Artisan Cuvée Meritage 2016
A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 14% Petit Verdot, the 2016 Penman Springs Artisan Cuvée Meritage is aged for 18 months in American oak. Boysenberries, black cherries, dried violets, and dutch process cocoa powder make up the nose. Mouthcoating, ripe tannins neatly couch a core of densely packed, sweet black fruit that […]
Venteux Tache le Verre Alisos Canyon 2016
High praise for Venteux Vineyard’s Tache le Verre. Crafted from 100% organically farmed Syrah from the renowned Alisos Canyon region of Santa Barbara, the 2016 is substantive and baritone in expression. Stratified layers of blackberries, black cherries, incense, tar, earth, smoky Pu-er tea, and violets compose the nose—a complex sensory arc that leads into a […]
LXV Kiler Canyon Vineyard Reserve Syrah 2014
Garnet robed, LXV’s 2014 Reserve Syrah is made from fruit sourced from Kiler Canyon Vineyard in Paso’s Willow Creek District and is vinified in 50% new French oak. Heady waves of Damson plums, black cherries, and blackberry pie rest beneath secondary aromas of lilacs, black olives, freshly turned soil, crushed limestone, and iron shavings. Medium-bodied, […]
Denner Mother of Exiles 2016
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, Denner’s 2016 Mother of Exiles is totally opaque in the glass with legs as dark as indigo. It’s slightly tight on opening, but swirling in the glass reveals wild blueberries and crème de cassis submerged beneath more ephemeral tones of […]
Denner Viognier 2016
Aged for 15 months in 350 L cigar-shaped barrels, Denner’s 2016 Viognier shows off depth, dimension and a lithe mineral edge. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and is bottled without fining or filtration. Pale green reflexes shimmer at the meniscus as aromas of Asian pear, mandarin, lanolin and dried honey bloom beneath ethereal secondary […]
Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay 2016
A veritable fruit salad, Edna Valley Vineyard’s 2016 Chardonnay is loaded with apricots, Bosc pear, yellow peaches, banana chips, vanilla, and toast. Full-bodied and fleshy, orchard fruit and tropical fruit commingle on the palate, as spiced pear, yellow apple, and papaya vie for center stage. Nice acid lift at the mid-palate lends brightness to this […]
LXV Secret Craving 2016
LXV’s 2016 Secret Craving is nimble and nuanced, and a departure from the 2015 in that the blend is Cabernet Franc dominant—at 59%, with Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Petit Verdot playing supportive roles. Dried violets, sweet tobacco, balsam wood, and bay laurel are embroidered against a backdrop of Rainier cherry, red currants, and […]
Brochelle Vineyards Zinfandel 2016
Thickset and baritone, the 2016 Brochelle Paso Robles Zinfandel offers up densely packed aromas of figs, plums, wood spice, anise, and balsamico. A fleshy mid-palate is neatly bisected by coiled acidity that parries and thrusts, ’till it unwinds, leaving behind a streak of prune and sweet tobacco. 15.8% ABV | Sample Brochelle Vineyards 88 Points
Eberle Côtes-du-Rôbles Rouge 2016
A pretty Côtes-du-Rhône inspired blend from Eberle, the 2016 Côtes-du-Rôbles Rouge 2016 expresses heady notes of macerated strawberries and pie cherries, along with vanilla, and woody and warm spice. Medium-bodied on entry, and round with ripe tannins serving as a graceful bridge to tart red fruit—rhubarb and choke cherry that gives way to white pepper, […]
Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay 2016
Smoky baked yellow apple, yellow peach, and clementine grace the nose of this well-priced Monterey Chardonnay. Talbott’s 2016 Kali Hart is made from Corton-Charlemagne Chardonnay clone vines from the winery’s Sleepy Hollow estate vineyard, a hillside parcel that is a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean. On the palate there is creaminess, yet there is […]