Winemaker Notes
The hyper-expressive dark fruit of blackberry, blueberry and fig is cloaked in rich sage, black pepper, clove and cola. Aspire elevates with a freshness shining through, in the dark crimson glass. French oak adds a vanilla and charred bacon component to its juicy, full-bodied structure. The bold finish cradles a sweet pipe tobacco, spice and dark chocolate that feel luxurious and reinforcing. Hedonistic is the appropriate word while sipping Aspire, and will culminate a pleasant symmetry and luxury now, and over the next 6 years.
Blend: 83% Syrah, 17% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Aspire is more Syrah-dominated and has ripe plum and blackberry-like fruit as well as classic notes of peppered meat, leather, and dried herbs, with a kiss of subtle chocolaty oak. It too is full-bodied, has a round, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. The blend is 83% Syrah and 17% Grenache aged 22 months in 75% new French oak.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Aspire is a blend of 83% Syrah and 17% Grenache aged in 57% new French oak. Deep ruby-purple, it has intense aromas of cassis, clove, milk chocolate and thyme, unfurling as it spends time in the glass. The full-bodied palate has a dense core of fruit and generous new oak spices with a chalky, fresh frame and long, spicy finish.
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Vinous
A beguiling blend of black currants, earth tones, ashen stones and savory olive are complicated by dark chocolate as the 2020 Aspire opens in the glass. This is wonderfully pure and energetic in feel, with vividly ripe red and black fruits accelerated by juicy acidity. It leaves a lingering concentration and a bitter twang as grippy tannins tug at the palate. Aspire, a blend of 83% Syrah and 17% Grenache, is more approachable in the 2020 vintage yet still wonderfully balanced and potent.
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.