Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The GSM of the estate, the 2015 Veracity checks in as 47% Grenache, 34% Mourvèdre, and 19% Syrah that was brought up in a mix of concrete tanks, neutral barrels, and 24% new barrels. Deep ruby/purple-colored, with a kaleidoscope of blackberries, leafy herbs, pepper, underbrush, and spice aromas and flavors, this beauty hits the palate with awesome purity of fruit, building richness, and ultra-fine tannins. It’s a tour de force in Rhône blends from California that I wish every reader could taste.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 47% Grenache, 34% Mourvèdre and 19% Syrah, the 2015 Veracity Proprietary Red reveals aromas of ripe plums, cassis, rose petal and exotic spice, framed by a subtle touch of new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with lots of crunchy, concentrated fruit and a formidable chassis of rich tannin and extract, concluding with a long, youthfully chewy finish. Cellar it for another year or two, preferably longer.
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Wine Enthusiast
This blend of 47% Grenache, 34% Mourvèdre and 19% Syrah shows alpine strawberries, lilac and an intriguing sesame-seed savory kick to the elegantly layered nose. It hits the palate suavely, delivering a pecan nuttiness that evolves into rounded strawberry, plum and rosewater flavors, all well balanced by grippy tannins.
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.
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.