Winemaker Notes
Aromas of red currant, iron, smoked meat, asphalt, black cherry tart, gummy candy, fennel. Svelte and rich followed by plush red and black raspberry, ripe plum, graham cracker, licorice, tar, and smoke. Grippy and strong. Moderate with vanillin, indian spice and pumpkin bread.
Blend: 42% Syrah, 23% Mourvèdre, 21% Grenache, 9% Petite Sirah, 5% Carignan
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Avenger is youthfully restrained in the glass, floral and earth-driven. A burst of intense crushed blackberry and wild herbs adds amazing complexity. It's silky-smooth with cooling mineral tones and acidity, along with tart raspberry fruits that penetrate deeply. This leaves a pleasant inner sweetness, finishing with a gentle grip and staying power. I love the combination of energy, tension and balanced structure. The Avenger is a blend of 42% Syrah, 23% Mourvèdre, 21% Grenache, 9% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignan that matures for fourteen months in 19% new French oak.
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Wine Enthusiast
Intensely rich and layered aromas of roasted plum, blackberry, melted dark chocolate and turned earth draw the nose deeply into the blend of 42% Syrah, 23% Mourvèdre, 24% Grenache, 9% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignan. The mouthfeel is alluringly creamy and yet firmly texture on the edges, carrying lush flavors of baking spice and roasted fruit, but with a lingering brightness that extends through the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Blueberries, darker cherries, pepper, and leafy herbs all emerge from the 2021 Avenger, a medium to full-bodied blend based on 42% Syrah, 23% Mourvèdre, 21% Grenache, 9% Petite Sirah, and the rest Carignan. This beauty has terrific purity, ripe yet building tannins, outstanding balance, and a great finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 The Avenger is a blend of 38% Syrah, 36% Carignan, 20% Petite Sirah, 5% Grenache and 1% Mourvèdre. It was vinified with 25% whole clusters and matured for 14 months in 20% new French and Hungarian oak. The nose is bursting with cassis and blueberries, plus accents of milk chocolate, tar and garrigue. The medium-bodied palate features generous, dark fruit, vibrant acidity, a frame of chalky tannins and a long, floral finish.
Rating: 94+ -
Decanter
Five grape varieties combine to create this blend, mainly comprised of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache. Aromatics of crushed red brick, wet concrete and mint accent underlying fruit elements, blackberry and dark cherry flesh. The palate is amply structured and refined, as streaks of minerality come together around a core of dark black fruits. Black plum espresso beans tease out umami notes of soy and balsamic. The finish veers into savoury herbs as white pepper and sage converge into substantial tannin: Decant or cellar for the most enjoyment.
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Wine Spectator
Boldly structured and rather muscular, this blend is full of personality, offering blackberry, grilled anise, cured meat and lots of freshly cracked pepper. Reveals big tannins on the finish. Needs time. Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Carignan. Best from 2025 through 2032.
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James Suckling
Blackberries, plums, black olives and peppercorns on the nose, following through to a medium to full body with creamy tannins. Fruity and velvety on the palate. Pleasant finish with black-pepper undertones. 42% syrah, 23% mourvedre, 21% grenache, 9% petite sirah and 5% carignan.
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.