Winemaker Notes
High on the Hog shows notes of macerated cherries, strawberry reduction, sweet spice, spring flowers, plum tart, melted licorice, and fresh herbs. The palate has an exuberant, sweet approach, with a long, mineral-laced finish.
Pair with smoked brisket with red wine reduction barbecue sauce.
Blend: 48% Grenache, 26% Petite Sirah,7% Syrah, 7% Zinfandel, 5% Mourvedre, 5% Malbec, 2% Lagrein
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 High on the Hog is a blend of 48% Grenache, 26% Petite Sirah, 7% Syrah, 7% Zinfandel, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Malbec and 2% Lagrein. It has a deep ruby color and scents of tar, iron, underbrush and cured meats with a core of red cherries and potpourri. The medium-bodied palate is soft, supple and alluring with a long, floral finish. This is delicious and very easy to drink! Best After 2023.
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Wine Enthusiast
The nose offers inky iodine, cassis, beef and oak aromas, while the palate lands with satisfying richness, showing milk chocolate and more cassis flavors.
Editors' Choice
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.