Winemaker Notes
Dark blue and purple hues. Bright aromas of fresh dark berries mixed with a rusticity of saddle and Santa Barbara garrigue wild sage. Refreshing and bright black fruit, mixed with mulling spices. Plush, delicious, round and fresh with good acidity.
Blend: 84% Cinsault, 16% Syrah
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Sporting a healthy ruby hue (semi-transparent), the 2022 Cinsault offers a beautiful perfume of raspberries, red plums, peppery herbs, and spice. These carry to a medium-bodied red that has a pure, elegant, layered mouthfeel, gorgeously polished tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's a hypothetical mix of a Grenache and Pinot and is just an utter joy to drink. I love it in its fresh and pure youth but see no reason this shouldn't evolve for 5-7 years if well stored.
-
Vinous
The 2022 Cinsault is a delight. Bright and effusive, the 2022 is superb. Crushed flowers, red/purplish fruit, spice and lavender are all beautifully lifted. This mid-weight, deceptively light-bodied wine is superb.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Super-juicy aromas of strawberry, hibiscus and pomegranate are enhanced by cinnamon, lavender and rose on the dynamic nose of this wine. The palate is juicy as well but contained by light tannins and a lingering acidity that carries through the dark purple-flower finish.
A charmer in the Southern Rhône Valley, Cinsault thrives in any hot and windy climate, and finds success in many other countries. It is a parent grape alongside Pinot Noir, of South Africa’s acclaimed red grape, Pinotage. Somm Secret—Given its relatively long history in California, Cinsualt is often “hidden” in the Zinfandel blends of Sonoma and Contra Costa Counties. Historically planted alongside Zinfandel (with Petite Sirah and Mourvedre) in the same vineyard, Cinsault is now an essential part of many “field blends.”
Today it is an integral part of the greater Santa Barbara County wine region, but at one time the village, Los Olivos, was a stop on the Wells Fargo stagecoach line.