Winemaker Notes
The Adams Ranch was established in the mid 70's but was first planted in 2005 to purely to Rhône varietals, beginning with Estrella clone Syrah propagated from the Bone Rock terraces at James Berry Vineyard. The vineyard has expanded acre by acre to include Grenache, Mourvédre, Roussanne, Cinsaut, Counoise, and Grenache Blanc. The wines have been lauded for their elegance, gorgeous aromatics and stylish commitment to a sense of place.
Blend: 51% Syrah, 46% Grenache, 2% Roussanne, 1% Mourvédre
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From the state property (not far from James Berry and in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles) and a blend of 51% Syrah, 46% Grenache, 2% Roussanne, and 1% Mourvèdre, brought up mostly in neutral oak, the 2017 Adams Ranch Vineyard has a singular bouquet of black cherries, mulberries, ground pepper, sappy underbrush, and hints of bacon fat, among other things. Incredibly complex and vibrant aromatically, it's medium to full-bodied, has sappy tannins, notable balance, and a great finish. It's a cool-climate, sappy red that needs 3-5 years of bottle age and is going to keep for over a decade. Those looking for classic decadent Paso Robles Syrah need to look elsewhere, but this is beauty is the real deal.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Adam's Ranch is a blend of 52% Syrah, 48% Grenache, 2% Roussanne and 1% Mourvèdre, grown in sandy soils and made with 50% whole cluster. Pale to medium ruby, it gives up peppered charcuterie, sour cherries, scorched earth, burnt orange peel, potpourri, dried leaves, bark and Angostura bitters aromas with loads of ripe red berry fruit at the core. Medium to full-bodied and slowly unfurling in the mouth to high toned notions, it has a firm, chalky frame and good freshness on the finish.
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.
Growing on high elevation bedrock slopes, the vineyards of Paso Robles Willow Creek AVA sit at between 960 and 1,900 feet in elevation.