Winemaker Notes
Aromas of bright raspberries, red cherries, and strawberries jump out of the glass. Black tea and dark chocolate emerge as the wine opens Super-ripe raspberry and bright red cherry make for a seductive first sip. This racy Central Coast blend has notes of cocoa and well-integrated French Oak. The finish lingers with flavors of cassis and dried plums.
58% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 1% Mourvèdre, 1% Cinsault
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Light and fresh, dark strawberries meet with wet gravel and dried earth on the nose of this red blend. There is a subtle elegance to the palate, where spice overtakes the dark plum fruit and lilac flowers.
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.