Winemaker Notes
Fog Catcher represents the best that the vineyard produces each year and has depth, outstanding color and incredible age worthiness. The majority of this blend is composed of our four original blocks of Bordeaux plantings at Heart Hill, planted in 2007.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A very dark but extremely well-integrated dark-fruit aroma of black plum is met with wood spice on the nose of this blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec and 5% Carmenère. It's firm on the palate, providing a frame for the caramel, butterscotch and brown sugar flavors that decorate the core of black cherry and chai spices. It is rich and very enjoyable.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Fog Catcher has a deep ruby-purple color and lush aromas of cassis, sweet spices, cedar and aniseed. The full-bodied palate is big, ripe and rounded, with plenty of creamy new oak and an approachable, drink-me-now style.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.