Winemaker Notes
The morning fog clung low to the cliffs, fine as gauze, trailing cool tendrils over my skin as I made my way down the narrow path. Crushed shells crunched softly beneath my feet, their pale fragments catching flashes of light between the rocks. The breeze carried the lift of lime blossom and sea grass, mingling with the brightness of citrus zest and the delicate weight of quince and peach. I paused at the water’s edge, where the air felt both sharp and soft, filled with salt, stone, and something just out of reach. The waves moved like breath, steady and unhurried, and I let them guide me forward.
Blend: 42% Viognier, 31% Marsanne, 11% Rousanne, 11% Picpoul Blanc, 11% Grenache Blanc
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A medium-bodied wine with gentle acidity and flavors of nectarines, peaches and grapefruit. Aromatic yet fresh with hint of fruit skin on the finish. Drink now. A blend of viognier, marsanne, roussanne with a little picpoul and grenache blanc.
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.