Winemaker Notes
The myriad of juicy, herbal and reductive aromas at first sniff are indicative of the four varieties that make up the 2016 Ingenuity bottling – Syrah, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre and Grenache. The healthy dollop of Petite Sirah in this year’s blend, 20%, gives great palate delineation and more seriousness to the blend. Broad flavors of red & blue juicy fruits, eucalyptus, white pepper, fresh herb garden, rose petals, black tar, and dried meats travel across the front to mid palate. Then, sensations focus on the back of the mouth with bold tannins from Syrah and Petite Sirah, which lengthen the wine and make for long aging potential.
Blend: 56% Petite Sirah, 16% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah, 13% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Ingenuity is blended of 54% Syrah, 20% Petite Sirah, 16% Mourvèdre and 10% Grenache. It was made using 10% whole cluster and aged 19 months in 75% new French oak barrels and puncheons. It has a deep ruby-purple color and slowly spreads its aromatic wings to a perfume of crushed blackcurrants, black cherries and warm blackberries, with marionberry and boysenberries accents, gobs of violet and lilac perfume, touches of black pepper, loamy earth, mint leaves, bitter chocolate and olive—what a fantastic perfume! The palate is silky and expansive with the most unbelievable floral character. It's got finely pixelated tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing long and layered. This is outstanding!
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Ingenuity checks in as 54% Syrah, 20% Petite Sirah, 16% Mourvèdre, and the rest Grenache that was mostly destemmed and spent 19 months in 75% new French oak. This deeply colored effort offers up a great yet slightly closed, backward bouquet of black fruits, ground herbs, charred meat, and toasted spices. It's rich, full-bodied, has a fleshy, opulent texture, no hard edges, yet the class to improve with another year or two of bottle age and keep for a decade.
Rating: 95+
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.
Growing on high elevation bedrock slopes, the vineyards of Paso Robles Willow Creek AVA sit at between 960 and 1,900 feet in elevation.