Winemaker Notes
Dark cherry, white pepper and spring floral aromas blend with dense blackberry flavors, sweet tannins and a juicy finish.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Now that Alex Guarachi's director of winemaking, Julian Gonzalez, is crafting this brand, we see a major improvement in taste and style. Notes of rhubarb and sweet tobacco are juicy in this Rhône-inspired blend composed of mostly Santa Barbara County fruit, while lavender, hibiscus, and peony persist on both the nose and a palate that finishes with ripe blackberry and mocha.
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Wine Enthusiast
Very dry aromas of dried blood sausage, muddled plum and cracked pepper make for an extremely savory nose on this bottling. The cracked pepper spice sails through the sip, where dried meat and very dark purple-fruit flavors also arise.
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.