Winemaker Notes
This wine offers purity, power, and precision. The vivid ruby/purple color catches your eye as you pour it into your glass. Aromas of black fruits, smoked meats, earth and spice let you know you are in for a ride. The palate is insane; mouth filling and rich while not being over the top. It really hits the sweet spot of fruit and complexity. The tannins are fine and the length goes on for miles. On day one it was delish but day two took it to another level proving it will go the long haul and give pleasure for years to come.
Blend: 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 5% Petite Sirah, 3% Carignan, 2% Mourvedre
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A Syrah-dominated blend that includes 20% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah, the 2018 Avenger offers an almost glass-staining purple color as well as loads of red and blue fruits, ground white pepper, smoked game, and Asian spices.
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Wine Spectator
A wine with torque and tension, which gives structure to the bold blueberry, currant and smoky grilled herb flavors as they build toward firm tannins. Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Carignan and Mourvèdre.
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.