Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A Mourvèdre-dominated blend that nods to Tavel in color and style, the 2017 Rosé Dianthus reveals a deep-pitched bouquet of Provence herbs and earthy Griotte cherry. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lovely cut and persistence, and it concludes with a long, sappy finish that shows some light, mouthwatering phenolic grip from its brief time on skins. This is a truly excellent rosé that ranks among the four or five best being produced in California, and it will be versatile at the table. 900 cases were produced, entirely from estate grapes.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Slightly deeper ruby in color than the Patelin de Tablas Rosé, the 2017 Dianthus Rosé is more Mourvèdre dominated and is always a slightly richer, heftier rose geared for the dinner table. Framboise, ripe cherries, and strawberry notes, as well as hints of spicy herbs, all give way to a medium-bodied, beautifully textured, layered rose that has both richness and freshness. It’s another winner from this great estate to enjoy over the coming summer months.
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Wine Spectator
A refined and focused style, with elegant raspberry, smoky spice and orange peel flavors that linger. Mourvèdre, Grenache and Counoise. Drink now.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
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.