Winemaker Notes
The trail to the coast took you past stretches of wild flowering lemon verbena and strewn bits of oyster shell. Now stepping onto the sand you are greeted by a cool ocean air which carries with it notes of coconut flesh, vanilla bean and yellow peach. You gaze at the water and breathe it all in, admiring the golden sun’s reflection in the waves.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Always a good value, the 2020 Cotes du Coast is based on 47% Viognier, 33% Marsanne, 11% Roussanne, and the rest Grenache Blanc and Clairette. Rocking honeyed citrus and tangerine fruits as well as flower and brioche all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, with terrific purity and a round, undeniably delicious style geared for drinking over the coming year or two.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
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.