Winemaker Notes
Claude's Cuvee starts with a cooler climate Syrah planted on North and East facing slopes on the G2 Vineyard in the Willow Creek District. Its a beautiful ruby color that's full bodied with ripe tannins. Savory herbs and dried flowers with rich, dark fruit preserves and accented with spice and a dusting of cocoa.
Pairs nicely with BBQ Ribs or sausage stuffed mushrooms.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Claude's Cuvee comes from deeper soils and is 58% Syrah, 21% Syrah, and the rest Grenache and Tempranillo, all of which was 60% destemmed. It's a beauty offering a deep purple hue, notes of mulled cherries, red plums, roasted herbs, and licorice, full-bodied richness, sweet tannins, and a great, great finish. It almost has a Châteauneuf du Pape-like sexiness, as well as a garrigue-like character, and is a gem of a wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Claude's Cuvée is a blend of 58% Syrah, 21% Mataro, 15% Grenache and 6% Tempranillo, matured in 70% new French oak. Medium ruby-purple, it's scented of blackcurrants, cracked pepper, cured meats and aniseed, with nuances of purple flowers that emerge after time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate offers layered fruits and bursts of freshness that highlight its spicy accents, and it finishes long and nuanced.
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James Suckling
Aromas of crushed berries and cracked black pepper. Full and layered with chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Chalky tannins. Needs time to soften. 58% syrah, 21% mataro, 15% grenache and 6% tempranillo.
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.