Winemaker Notes
Bright, dense ruby purple core lightening toward the rim with thick, slow, moderately stained tears. : Intense aromas of ripe black cherry, black currant, vanilla, cinnamon and black licorice with dried herbs, cocoa, violets and toasted oak. Dry, full-bodied and very complex with rich ripe black fruit and baking spice on the entry, with anise, purple flowers and chocolate on the mid-palate, joined by emerging chewy tannins into the fresh, balanced finish, which is very long with sustained fruit and layers of evolving sweet spice. The palate of the 2014 ISOSCELES is very open right now for such a cellar-worthy wine, and is an outstanding pairing with a classic prime rib or barbecue brisket. After a few years it will be perfect with more complex dishes like a ragout of veal or lamb served with fresh pasta.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This flagship bottling is still a whopper of a wine. This vintage, a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 12% Merlot, offers barely ripe black cherry, green peppercorn and charred fennel on the nose. The palate is loaded with both savory and ripe flavors, from roasted black plums and charred beef to oregano and dill. Very complex and chalky in texture.
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Wine Spectator
Shows a measure of finesse and restraint given the size, which is big and expressive, offering notes of plum, blackberry, baking spices and cedary oak. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Best from 2020 through 2032
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2014 Justin Isosceles is a big and powerful red wine forged from Bordeaux grape varieties—Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This wine shows up with excellent flavors of the black fruit, tar, and oak. (Tasted: October 30, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
The pioneer of Paso Robles, JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1981 by Justin Baldwin and is known for crafting world-class wines using Bordeaux grape varieties. Once the grapes are harvested, JUSTIN Winemaker Scott Shirley and his team sort, select, age, taste, blend, and decide what goes into every bottle. JUSTIN consistently receives top honors around the world, establishing itself as a leader in new-world Bordeaux-style winemaking. JUSTIN's Vineyard Estate features a Tasting Room, luxury five-star accommodations at the JUST INN, and a MICHELIN-starred Restaurant-making it one of the only wineries on the Central Coast to offer all three amenities. JUSTIN also has a downtown Paso Robles tasting room where guests can enjoy their wines. Visit to discover what makes JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery so exceptional.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.