Winemaker Notes
Blend: 57% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 19% Mourvedre
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A classic Paso Robles Syrah (57% Syrah, 24% Grenache and the rest Mourvedre) that delivers on all accounts, the 2014 Heart Stone Vineyard is a big, rich, decadently styled beauty that offers tons of upfront spice, dark fruits, licorice and smoked earth aromatics, with more floral, violets and sappy underbrush notes coming through with air that keep it far for simple or straightforward. Utterly seamless on the palate, with full-bodied richness, a big, rich mid-palate and the chalky tannin that's the hallmark of these limestone hills on the west side of Paso Robles, this riveting, powerful, yet weightless beauty just begs to be drunk today, yet it will evolve easily for a decade or more.
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Wine Spectator
Potent and powerfully built, with a distinctive backbone of crushed stone minerality, plus complex flavors of licorice, black olive, dark berry and bittersweet chocolate. The tannins are big but polished. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Best from 2018 through 2028.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.