Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Proprietary Red Blend is an expressive blend of four red varieties that originate from three of the Central Coast's acclaimed winegrowing regions: Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley and Paso Robles.
This wine opens in the glass with aromas of crushed dried lavender and blackberry. The mouthfeel is smooth with rich layers of plum, dark cherry and brambleberry with an underlying hint of dried eucalyptus. The finish is long with a touch of warm spice.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Punchy, dry, structured and robust, with lots of dense, dark fruit, blueberries, blackberries, cocoa powder and espresso, plus leafy accents. Mostly from the warmer parts of cool Monterey County, it leads with merlot and petite sirah, with lesser amounts of cabernet sauvignon and malbec.
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Wine Enthusiast
This blend of Merlot, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon offers fairly extreme but pleasing richness at a fair price. Aromas of blackberry, fudge, vanilla and charred caramel lead from the nose to a chalky palate full of blackberry compote and chocolate-chip cookie flavors.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
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.