Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Hailing from the El Pomar District, with its steep hillsides and rocky soils, this blend contains all five Bordeaux varieties and is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (46%) and Merlot (27%). Aromas of Bing cherries, salted plums, and graphite supercharge the intensity while also maintaining balance. Strong-willed and broad-shouldered, it expresses savory tones of soy sauce and black olives. The mid-palate introduces coffee liqueur sweetened by brownsugared blackberry. This wine defines opulence.
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Wine Enthusiast
This powerful, attention-grabbing blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 18% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc by the Riboli family starts with aromas of black currant, violet, roasted meat and dark chocolate. The structure is firm on the palate, where roasted coffee, dark berry and smoked meat flavors show, with espresso bean, bittersweet chocolate and tar arising as well. Drink now–2030.
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.