Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Claude's Cuvée is an interesting blend of 52% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 10% Mataro, 8% Tempranillo, and 8% Carignan that was raised mostly in French oak. It offers a more earthy, meaty bouquet of spiced black fruits, cedarwood, leafy herbs, and herbed meat. Beautifully textured and full-bodied, it offers ripe, polished tannins and a great, great finish. It ranks with the best of the best and will cruise for a decade in cool cellars.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The medium to deep ruby colored 2017 Claude's Cuvée is mainly Syrah, blended with smaller amounts of Grenache, Mataro and Carignan. It was made with 41% whole cluster and aged 22 months in 70% new oak. It has an appealingly "cool climate" perfume of white pepper, mint chocolate, blackcurrants, fresh violets and a core of blackberries and blueberries. The medium to full-bodied palate is elegant, super fresh and restrained, with a grainy frame and still tightly wound finish. This is lovely! Give it another year or two in bottle. Rating : 94+
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Wine Spectator
Polished and multilayered, with compelling black raspberry, licorice and smoky pepper notes that take on richness toward refined tannins. Syrah, Grenache, Mataro, Tempranillo and Carignane. Drink now through 2029.
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.