Winemaker Notes
Notes of marionberry, dark leather, smoked plums, blueberry/peach cobbler, acacia flower, lavender creme brulee, red-eye gravy, violet, ripe olive, hoisin, currant paste, and melted licorice. Broad, weighty, and plush on the palate with a densely packed finish.
Blend: 64% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre, 4% Petite Sirah, 2% Clairette Blanche
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the reds, the 2018 Beautiful Earth Red checks in as 64% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Grenache, and smaller amounts of Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, and Clairette Blanche. Its deep purple color is followed by lots of jammy blackberry fruits, ground pepper, violets, and a hint of game. Rich, medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and just loaded with fruit, it's a beautiful wine that can be drunk today or cellared for 7-8 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
This blend of 64% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Grenache, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Petite Sirah and 2% Clairette Blanche is still young and tight on the nose, but it allows aromas of black currant, cola and seared wood to emerge. The palate combines black raspberry and lavender onto a taut frame of tannins that release their grip with time.
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Wine Spectator
Plump and polished, with a cornucopia of aromas and flavors, including notes of spiced mocha, blackberry, dried cherry, licorice and savory beef that build structure toward refined tannins. Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Clairette Blanche. Drink now through 2028.
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.