Winemaker Notes
Audacious shows tremendous complexity and remarkable energy. The use of both Law's Cabernet clones, offers rich texture with ultra-fine-grained tannin and fresh herbal nuances. Grenache's prevalent front-of-mouth entry bursts with bright red fruit, violets and white flowers that cascade over the mid-palate, where density from Syrah and Carignan, create a full-bodied mouthfeel. Having aged 22 months in 58% new French oak, this wine's refreshing, and lengthy acidity, balance beautifully with the layered nuances of baking spices, vanilla, and woody char. Its energy and complexity are standout; providing a well painted picture of what the Law vineyard is capable of producing with a spark of inspiration from Priorat.
Blend: 35% Grenache, 25% Cabernet Sauv., 22% Carignan, 18% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Audacious is an interesting mix of 35% Grenache, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carignan, and 18% Syrah that spent 22 months in 58% new French oak. Its deep plum hue gives way to full-bodied aromas and flavors of red and black fruits, leather, peppery herbs, and chalky minerality. It's balanced, has a terrific mid-palate, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. It's another seriously good wine from this team that has so much to love. Drink these over the coming 10-12+ years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Audacious is a blend of 35% Grenache, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carignan and 18% Syrah matured for 22 months in 58% new French oak. Blueberry candy and maraschino cherry burst from the glass, accented by tones of blood orange and Angostura bitters. The full-bodied palate derives its power from concentrated layers of fruit, yet it has a weightless structure of chalky tannins and focused acidity. It has a very long, latent finish and will benefit from several years in bottle.
Rating: 96+ -
Vinous
The 2021 Audacious stains the glass with deep purple hues. A complex blend of cedary spice, red currants, stone dust and blood orange wafts up from the glass. This wine is focused on purity. Saline minerals underscore bright red and blue fruits, and blue inner florals form toward the close. The 2021 tapers off long and perfumed with a mouthwatering sensation as blackberry nuances linger. The Audacious will be bottled in August, yet it’s already remarkably pretty. It’s a blend of 35% Grenache, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Carignane and 18% Syrah.
Range: 91-94 -
Wine Spectator
A spirited red, showing bold flavors of blackberry and raspberry laced with espresso and charred pepper notes as this builds tension and tannins on the finish. Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Syrah. Drink now through 2032.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
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.