Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Fog Catcher is powerful and age-worthy, with a luxurious mouthfeel and harmonious balance of dark fruit, herbal and floral notes.
Blend: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Malbec and 5% Carmenere
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a big, almost bombastic blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Malbec and 5% Carmenere, opening on the nose with black currant, graphite, black pepper and savory earth aromas. The palate is bold with cassis and coffee cream flavors, as the oak influence is apparent and the thick mouthfeel is strapped together by fine tannins. Sure to impress any table.
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Vinous
The 2021 Fog Catcher Heart Hill Vineyard launches from the glass with a wave of balsamic spices, mocha, fig paste and dried black cherries. It's elegant with velvety textures. A dense wave of ripe red and black fruits envelope the palate as minerality saturate and grippy tannins settle in. It's dramatically long and staining with depths of primary concentration. Hints of cocoa and blackberry slowly fade.
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.