Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Theresa is a blend of 40% Roussanne, 25% Grenache Blanc, 15% Marsanne, 10% Vermentino and 10% Picpoul. It has very pretty scents of spring honey and white flowers with a core of perfumed orchard fruits. The palate is silky, rounded, fresh and perfumed, with honey-nut character lingering on the finish. This is immediately enjoyable but will gain interest in bottle over the next 3-5 years.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Light aromas of coconut flesh, honeydew, orange peel and beach sand show on the nose of this blend of 40% Roussanne, 25% Grenache Blanc, 15% Marsanne, 10% Vermentino and 10% Picpoul. The palate is extremely tense, with yuzu peel at first and then broader flavors of jasmine and peach in the midpalate.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
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.