Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This Cab Franc and Merlot blend is elegant and refined. Notable for the subtle interplay of dried earth, blueberry and oak flavors with the rich tannins. It’s a wine of enormous charm and finesse. Bone dry, and packing a long, fruity finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An unfiltered blend of 76% Cabernet Franc and 24% Merlot, the impressive 2002 Justification reveals a saturated ruby/purple color along with a knock-out nose of blueberries and currants. This fleshy, expansive, medium to full-bodied effort is very light on its feet with nicely integrated tannin, wood, and acidity. A high class, subtle, but authoritatively rich red, it is good to see Cabernet Franc doing this well in the Paso Robles area.
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Wine Spectator
Stylish in its presentation and range of flavors, with firm, fleshy currant, black cherry, plum and wild berry tones. Picks up momentum and reveals extra dimensions of depth and complexity on the long, satisfying finish. Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.