Winemaker Notes
This 2022 is predominantly Syrah, offering an enticing bouquet filled with rich aromas of spice and ripe fruit. The aroma pours from the glass with enticing aromas reminiscent of red plum, candied blueberry, and licorice, bringing balance to the bright acidity from an early harvest. Upon your first sip, the palate displays bold notes of black pepper, bright cranberry, and raspberry jam. The warm spices, coupled with bright fruits, create a sense of comfort and accentuate the wine’s exceptional drinkability. Anna’s Red is a crowd favorite, and this vintage does not disappoint. Drink through 2029.
Blend: 40% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 13% Cinsaut, 12% Mourvèdre, 9% Counoise, 6% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Anna's Red Signature Anna's Estate Vineyard is vibrant in the glass, bursting with dusty rose, crushed cherries and cedary spice. Juicy to the core, it offers ripe raspberry and blueberry tones guided by brisk acidity. The wine tapers off long and staining yet only gently tannic, leaving a licorice tinge.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.