Winemaker Notes
This is an easy-going Syrah designed for pleasure, with aromas of dark cherry and blueberries framed by notes of graham cracker, baking spice, and a hint of white pepper. In the mouth, flavors of blackberry and molasses ride along a rounded palate with lovely smooth tannins. Barrel aging for 18 months in French and American oak barrels brings a toasty hint of vanilla, and the wine comes to a lengthy conclusion with lingering notes of black fruit.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From the Maddalena Vineyard, this bottling is opaque in the glass, offering roasted blackberry, oak and clove aromas in a Shiraz-like expression. The palate lands with hearty weight and big flavors of violet, roasted wood and rich, stewed fruits.
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James Suckling
Grilled meat and bacon give a savory yet “dark” sensibility to the blackberries. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate, with fine tannins and lifted acidity. Some dried herbs in a meaty, medium-length finish.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
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.