Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Jada Vineyard Hells Kitchen has a beautiful bouquet of black fruits, crushed violets, ground pepper, and licorice. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, opulent Syrah that's packed with sweet fruit and offers terrific purity, sweet tannins, and a great finish.
Blend: 61% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 10% Tannat, 5% Graciano
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Inky in the glass, this blend of 61% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 10% Tannat and 5% Graciano shows opulence countered by spice and structure. Aromas of boysenberry com- pote, chai spice cream, lava rock and soy lead into a comforting, concentrated combination of silky tannins, cassis, cracked pepper and black cardamom on the palate. Editors’ Choice.
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Jeb Dunnuck
More of a blend, the 2018 Hell's Kitchen checks in as 61% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 10% Tannat, and 5% Graciano that was raised in 60% new French oak. It's another beautiful wine, offering lots of jammy red and blackberry fruits, notes of ground pepper and violets, full-bodied richness, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's going to keep for a solid 7-8 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An elegant blend of 61% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 10% Tannat and 5% Graciano, the 2018 Hell's Kitchen is scented of red and black berries with tones of blood orange, dried flowers, bitters and earth. The medium-bodied palate has a fine, silty texture, layered, spicy flavors and a juicy, uplifted finish. It’s drinking beautifully now but has the structure to evolve in the cellar over the next 10+ years.
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.