Winemaker Notes
There is black cherry, eucalyptus and sarsaparilla on the nose. The palate has cherry cola, bitter cocoa, fruit leather and earth.
Pairs well with eggplant parmesan or a pasta with vodka sauce.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Sangiovese weaves woody, resinous, earthy aromas around a pure, vibrant core of ripe red fruits that increases in volume after even a short while in the glass. The palate is equally deep, rich and tensile, leading into a lively, soaring finish that lingers with taut, dusty tannins and enough fruit padding to avoid a semblance of harshness.
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James Suckling
Varietally correct, taut with acidity and full of propulsive energy, this finds very good balance between brambleberries and cherries with oregano and kumquat notes. Textural tannins carry rose-hip and forest-floor flavors.
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.