Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Turtle Rock Vineyards Willow's Cuvee has lively cherry, raspberry fruit and gorgeous floral notes that ends with a hint of white pepper. Soft and balanced with amazing tannin that will hold up for years to come. Pairs wonderfully with garlic and herb roasted lamb chops or apricot glazed pork.
Blend: 58% Grenache, 27% Syrah, 11% Mourvedre, 4% Tempranillo
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Composed of 58% Grenache, 27% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre, and 4% Tempranillo, the 2017 Willow's Cuvee offers a complex, exotic bouquet of red plums, raspberries, licorice, ground pepper, and loads of floral notes. Rich, medium to full-bodied, pretty, and elegant, it's another beautiful wine from this estate to drink over the coming decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Willow's Cuvée is made up of 58% Grenache, 27% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre and 4% Tempranillo. It was made with 22% whole cluster and aged 22 months in 60% new oak. Medium ruby in color, it has a very high-toned, floral and amaro-laced nose with notes of prosciutto, bacon fat, powdered sugar, bitter citrus peel, scorched earth and leather. Medium-bodied and silky, slowly unfurling to savory and earth-laced fruits, it has a gently grainy frame and well-woven freshness, finishing spicy.
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.