Winemaker Notes
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most recognizable wine grape varietals in the world. Though it's normally associated with Bordeaux and Napa Valley, our estate vineyards in Paso Robles produce fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon year after year. This vintage has bright aromas of dark raspberry and black cherry. Ripe flavors of plum and currant are complemented by nuances of cocoa.
Blend: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is an easy-to-find wine that overdelivers. Aromas of dark cherry, toasted wood, cocoa and graphite make for a complex nose. A chalky structure frames baked strawberry and hard spices on the palate, making for a sip that's lush while still fun.
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James Suckling
A juicy and pretty full-bodied cabernet sauvignon showing nice olives, currants, black licorice and tobacco on the nose. Bountiful tannins that are fine-grained on the palate, showing nice generosity in the finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Shows steeped plum, boysenberry and blackberry fruit flavors that roll through, coated with melted licorice and backed by a chocolaty note on the finish. This has just enough energy to support the frankly overt fruit. For fans of the style. Drink now through 2025. 10,000 cases made.
As Paso Robles, California has soared in number of wineries and gained in popularity, Cabernet Sauvignon has firmly taken root as the region’s number one varietal. Alone, it accounts for just over 40% of plantings and is grown throughout both the western and eastern sides of the appellation. Though viticulture here dates back to the 18th century, Cabernet Sauvignon didn’t emerge as a significant grape here until the 1970’s. But since then it has definitely made up for lost time.
Legendary winemaker and consultant Andre Tchelistcheff first recognized Paso’s potential with Cabernet Sauvignon in the early 1960’s. The calcareous soil and dramatic diurnal temperature changes of Paso’s westside particularly intrigued him. Today modern winemaking techniques and focused experimentation with various clones, rootstocks and vineyard strategies optimize the region's ideal combination of soil and climate to deliver the best fruit possible.
The results are evident in the glass. Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon can be mesmerizing, with rich aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, black cherry, graphite, toasty oak, vanilla and spice. The structure, balance and unbridled opulence of these wines impress from first sip to last. Not surprisingly, Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignons have steadily grown in reputation, not just in the U.S., but around the world.