Winemaker Notes
Tastes like fresh cranberry, Montmorency cherries, and strawberry jello shooters
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Bursting with charm, this shows red cherries, cranberries and rhubarb swept with fresh oregano and spices, plus a subtle lift of fennel seeds through the mouthwatering finish. This light, bracing red is meant to be enjoyed chilled; the word “Freddo” on the label turns blue when it’s properly cold.
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Wine Enthusiast
This chillable red is very light in the glass, offering strawberry, cherry and turned loam aromas. The palate zips with acidity and holds tight with a grippy texture, framing raspberry, tart cranberry and white pepper flavors.
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Tasting Panel
The 2024 Freddo lifts from the glass with a blend of wild strawberries, tangerine shavings and rose. Juicy to the core, it offers zesty acidity and a cascade of tart wild berry fruits flowing beneath an air of lavender pastille. The finish is wickedly fresh and medium in length, leaving a tart raspberry tinge to linger.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
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.