Winemaker Notes
The ONES began in the 2014 vintage as a new "best-barrel" program. Each vintage, Eric will choose his favorite barrel of Syrah, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon separately and bottle each barrel on their own.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a single barrel of 100% Grenache, the 2015 Grenache Ones reminds me of Clos Saint Jean’s Combe des Fous cuvée from Chateauneuf du Pape. Kirsch liqueur, toasted spices, cured meats, herbes de Provence and hints of licorice give way to a full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, rich, textured Grenache that that has a stacked mid-palate, sweet tannin and a great finish. Drink this sensational 2015 over the coming decade. It’s unquestionably one of the wines of this challenging vintage, and one of the few that will compete with the best of the 2014s and 2013s.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% Grenache, the 2015 ONES GRE has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and is profoundly scented of baked cherries, warm plums and blueberry coulis with touches of Christmas cake, chocolate box, dusty earth, smoked bacon and cinnamon stick, plus a lovely red roses perfume. Big, rich, concentrated and full-on gorgeous, this voluptuous beauty is no shrinking violet, with a firm frame of velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing with lingering spice and earth hints.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
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.