Winemaker Notes
The 2016 vintage gave Torrin the opportunity to create what may turn out to be their best Banshee to date. Remarkably fortunate timing allowed them to co-ferment Syrah and Mourvedre, Grenache and Mourvedre, and Syrah and Grenache from vineyard within the Willow Creek and Adelaida Districts of West Paso Robles. Following a nearly 5 week fermentation utilizing native yeasts, the lots were basket pressed and aged for 22 months in 300L French Oak barrels. The resulting wines are beautifully layered and complex. While unmistakably West Paso Robles in the texture and weight of the wine, its subtleties and nuanced aromatics and complex flavor profile no doubt link The Banshee to its Southern Rhone stylistic roots. We recommend a few hours in a decanter to allow the wine to open up in its youth. For those with room in the cellar, this wine will age beautifully over the next decade.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 40% Syrah, 33% Mourvedre, 27% Grenache aged 22 months in 30% new oak, the 2016 The Banshee reveals a deep purple color as well as powerful notes of blackberries, charred meats, roasted herbs, and dark chocolate. Rich, full-bodied, and locked and loaded, it hits the palate with a seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 Torrin, The Banshee Red Blend, is a tasteful blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows exceptional energy. Enjoy its powerful aromas and flavors of bright red fruit with a slowly-braised beef stew. (Tasted: April 29, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Focused and trim, with medium-weight blackberry and grilled beef accents that take on richness toward refined tannins. Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache. Drink now through 2024.
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.
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.