Winemaker Notes
Deep purple hue. Lifted spice and herbal notes, mulberries and lavender with a delicate touch of white pepper and wild rocket. Light bodied style with raspberry, mulberries and cinnamon spice. Bright red fruit, with a juicy mouth watering palate, balanced French oak, crunchy tannins and a silky finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Dark ruby color and a spicy nose; fleshy and luscious with flavorful notes of chocolate and spice leading to a long finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Paxton Graciano offers plenty of fruit from start to finish. TASTING NOTES: This wine comes to the table with a load of delicious black fruits on the palate. Enjoy this with BBQ baby back ribs and a sweet/hot-spiced sauce on the side. (Tasted: June 18, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
Graciano has been best known as a blending grape used in Rioja to add color, depth and perfume to Tempranillo. It also thrives in the nearby region of Navarra and a few dedicated winemakers in California and Australia are making singe varietal bottlings certainly worthy of checking out! Graciano’s black fruit and lush tannins make it a perfect pairing to grilled or smoked red meat, as well as game.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.