Winemaker Notes
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Petite Sirah
To create a blend with 50% Petite Sirah is very unique since it is a varietal with one of the smallest planted acres worldwide, and because its tannic structure is so intense. In our blend, the Cabernet Sauvignon actually tames the tannins of the Petite Sirah to bring the blend into balance. The ageing does the rest to develop the wine into a rich, silky masterpiece.
Inky purple with scarlet highlights, this wine offers thought-provoking dark fruit aromas balanced with floral and spicy notes. On the palate, it is jammy at first, with a dense midpalate wrapped around a core of soft tannins. The finish is long and lingering.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah are harvested from the same vineyard, 700 feet above sea level and situated just north of the Templeton Gap between high hills to the West and the city of Paso Robles to the East. The loamy soil vineyard benefits from the warm climate, low rainfall, and fog that travels up the valley in the evenings, cooling down the grapes. Our Paso Cab is big, opulent and richly textured. Our Petite Sirah is inky, bold and jammy with deep tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Black cherry color; ripe and succulent with over-the-top flavors of sweet plum and cherry; thick and intense with a smooth texture, good acid structure, and a long finish. 50% Petite Sirah, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
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.