Winemaker Notes
The 2022 Claude's Cuvée opens with aromatics of ripe blueberry, forest berries, and crushed shale, accented by a hint of ground nutmeg. The palate reveals blue and black fruits that are elegantly layered with fine tannins. These tannins build gracefully, enhancing the wine's structure without overpowering its vibrant character. The Graciano shines through with its characteristic juicy acidity, leading to a long, satisfying finish, with notes of warm baking spices.
Blend: 52% Syrah, 33% Graciano, 10% Mataro, 5% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 52% Syrah, 33% Graciano, 10% Mataró, and 5% Grenache, the 2022 Claude's Cuvée reveals a deep, opaque purple hue along with noes of blueberries, black cherries, pepper, new leather, resinous herbs, and rose petals. It's medium to full-bodied, deep, and concentrated, with ripe, polished tannins and one hell of a great finish
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James Suckling
A broadly tannic, meaty and mineral-infused wine with plenty of dark, jammy fruit flavors. Aromas of blackberry jam, blueberries and strawberries, followed by mouth-coating, ripe and delicious flavors of berries, licorice and touches of sweet, spicy oak. While good and textured, the tannins are rather soft for easy sipping. A blend based around syrah and graciano grapes.
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PinotReport
A broadly tannic, meaty and mineral-infused wine with plenty of dark, jammy fruit flavors. Aromas of blackberry jam, blueberries and strawberries, followed by mouth-coating, ripe and delicious flavors of berries, licorice and touches of sweet, spicy oak. While good and textured, the tannins are rather soft for easy sipping. A blend based around syrah and graciano grapes. Drink now or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Opening on with a deep nose that straddles dark berry compote, wild underbrush and refined floral notes, the 2022 Claude's Cuvée encapsulates the Turtle Rock style in its high-wire balance between exuberance and restraint. The palate is velvety and rich while retaining a framing of clean acidity, leading to a polished, pretty and graceful finish framed with a subtle tannic grip. This wine comprises 52% Syrah, 33% Graciano, 10% Mataró and 5% Grenache.
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.