Winemaker Notes
This wine exudes luxury. A wine of power and opulence, Aspire is made up of all but one block of Syrah grown on the property, with a beautiful lift from 13% Grenache. Housed for 22 months in 68% new French oak, it bestows impeccably integrated oak spice, vanilla, and clove, with concentrated primary blackberry, sweet black cherry, plum and blueberry fruit. There is tremendous complexity in this young wine showing hints of leather, graphite, cracked Szechuan pepper, with an almost villainous crimson core. Supple acidity and ample velvety-soft tannins accentuate the luxurious mouthfeel as the wine glides across the palate. The finish is long and sumptuous, with a peak in fresh acidity from Grenache, giving the power and density of this wine an effortless perception.
Blend: 87% Syrah, 13% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Sweet dark florals, crushed blueberries and mocha give way to savory smoked meat and black olive as the 2021 Aspire smolders up from the glass. This is silky-smooth and deeply textural. Cooling acidity complements currant and raspberry notes. Dark chocolate and lavender tones come forward toward the close. Staining and long with fine-grained tannins, the 2021 leaves clove and licorice hints to linger on and on. The potential here is off the charts. Aspire is a blend of 83% Syrah and 17% Grenache.
Range: 94-97 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the reds, gamey black and blue fruits, crushed stone, graphite, and violet notes all shine in the 2021 Aspire, a beautifully textured, mineral-laced, full-bodied effort that has ripe tannins and a great, great finish. Based on 87% Syrah and 13% Grenache, it brings ample power and richness while staying light on its feet and beautifully balanced. Drink bottles over the coming decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Aspire is a blend of 87% Syrah and 13% Grenache matured for 22 months in 68% new French oak. It's bursting with scents of cassis, blueberry, garrigue, peppercorn, coffee beans and aniseed, plus savory and earthy undertones. The full-bodied palate has a powerful structure of powdery tannins and focused acidity. its core of fruit is youthfully coiled but it still offers notable definition and detail, and it has a long, mineral-driven finish. It balances power and elegance and will be long lived in the cellar.
Rating: 96+ -
Wine Spectator
Rich and generous, with handsomely structured raspberry and blackberry flavors highlighted by savory beef, licorice and black pepper notes. Finishes with fine-grained tannins. Syrah and Grenache. Drink now through 2032.
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.