Winemaker Notes
86% Grenache, 14% Syrah Always a charmer, the 2016 Beguiling is as rich as it is complex, with dark cherry and hints of cranberry making their home in a copia of wild florals and herbs. From the core, its juicy freshness rides along an impressive wave of acidity which provides balance to the weight of this powerful, yet beautifully finessed wine. On the finish, there is a resurgence of fruit and engulfing tannin, that will keep not only your palate, but all your senses fully engaged with every sip.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Grenache-dominated 2016 Beguiling (there's 14% Syrah) spent 22 months in barrels prior to bottling. It boasts a ripe, flamboyant bouquet of blueberries, wild strawberries, peppery herbs, and crushed rock-like minerality. Deep, full-bodied, and seamless on the palate, with ultra-fine tannins, it has remarkable purity and elegance as well as an opulence and sexiness that needs to be tasted to be believed.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Beguiling is a blend of 86% Grenache and 14% Syrah aged 19 months in 60% new oak. Medium ruby-purple in the glass, it's scented of roasted plum, crushed blackcurrants, iron, cranberry sauce and red berry preserves accented by garrigue and charcuterie. The medium-bodied palate is silky and layered with sturdy, lightly chalky tannins and a long, fresh finish. This is a bigger, riper style but elegantly crafted and still light on its feet.
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Wine Enthusiast
Deep and rich red-fruit aromas meet with star anise spice and darker black-plum touches on the nose of this bottling, which is boosted with 14% Syrah. Mouthcoating tannins leap onto the palate, where the rich but not overripe red-fruit flavors are lifted by fennel pollen and strong acidity.
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Wine Spectator
Offers structure and deep flavors, with huckleberry, crushed stone and savory sage notes that build toward broad-shouldered tannins. Grenache and Syrah. Best after 2020.
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.