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Central Coast Wineries
There are now so many wineries around the Central Coast that
I try to visit new ones each time I pass through the area. In
the past, most of the wineries created ripe young fruity wines,
with an accessible ready-to-drink style. Exceptions included
wines made from the Dusi vineyards, such as Ridge Paso Robles,
some of the wines of Castoro and Eberle, and a few excellent
top range bottlings by larger manufacturers like Meridian and
J. Lohr. Recently I have been discovering newer small wineries
up in the Adelaida foothills of Santa Lucia Mountains west of
Paso Robles. These winemakers have discovered patches of limestone
and volcanic soil, with weather conducive to growing Rhone varietals
like Syrah and Mourvedre. The wines are much more complex than
many of those from the valley floor, with higher acidity but
still with complete ripeness.
Note that a major earthquake in December 2003 damaged large
amounts of inventory in several of these wineries, and might
affect pricing in the subsequent releases.
Santa Maria
Laetitia Winery
on Highway 101 about 10 miles Norh of Santa Maria
Tasted January 2003
Non-vintage Brut Cuvée ($16)
Sweet nose with a touch of yeast. Very dry crisp flavors, a touch
of bitter grapefruit and green apple.
1999 Chardonnay Reserve ($14)
Nose is slightly dominated by oak profile, with butter, vanilla
and wood. Very smooth buttery mouth feel with a hint of sweetness,
flavors of lemon peel, pears, hazelnuts and nutmeg.
2000 Pinot Noir Estate ($25)
Light ruby color, with a bright spicy and herbaceous nose. The
tannin is subdued and not deeply developed, but structure supported
by oak tones of cedar (pencil shavings) and cloves, almost reminiscent
of a Spanish Rioja.
2000 Barnwood Zinfandel ($12)
A light style zin, more woody than jammy, with cedary oak profile
similar to the pinot noir. Flavors on the bright side, high acidity,
low tannin, signs of cool weather growth. Lingering dry woody
flavors.
2000 Barnwood Syrah ($20)
Perfume nose with oak and rose petals. Palate a bit soapy, very
dry with lingering tannins.
2000 Barnwood Cabernet Sauvignon ($22)
Medium ripeness, high acidity, nose with cinamon, fireplace,
cedar pencil. Palate cedary, brambly, again a bit like a Rioja
from the wood.
2001 Barnwood Orange Muscat ($9)
Very sweet nose, but with a big dose of terpentine. Flavors of
pineapple, lemon, apple, spices, with bright acidity. The terpine
nose is a bit of a turn-off.
Paso Robles
Eberle Winery
805-238-9607
www.eberlewinery.com
This winery produces consistently high quality big wines,
with lots of fruit, good balance, and food-friendly freshness.
Many of the tasting notes here represnt quick impressions while
tasting in 2002 at the winery. They aren't complete notes, nor
do they convey the overall lushness of these wines.
Full Boar Red (NV) ($10)
Simple big fruit, not for aging, raspberries, American oak. Blend
of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Barbera. The Zinfandel seems
to show forward with its fruit. Good value.
*2000 Zinfandel, Steinbeck Vineyard ($16)
Beautiful fruit, coffee, chocolate, nutmeg, black cherries and
oak (12 months American). This has many of the qualities that
keep Zinfandel among my favorite wines, and it represents Paso
Robles' style well.
2000 Zinfandel, Suaret Vineyard ($20)
Despite the fact that my friend Mikel Olsten makes his best Zinfandel
from the Suaret vineyard, Eberle's Suaret may be a bit too simple
for my tastes. Very gentle nose, soft, smooth and fruity, yet
the palate has a surprisingly tannic finish. A lush and fruity
wine, but perhaps a bit overpriced.
2000 Barbera ($18)
A bright and somewhat simple wine, with crisp acidity, hints
of spice.
2000 Syrah, Steinbeck Vineyard ($20)
Vanilla taffy nose (perhaps from American oak?), with quite a
bit of mineral complexity, quite sweet on the palate. The fruit
wins over the oak profile, as it should be.
2000 Syrah Reid Vineyard ($20)
Nose resembling cognac (lots of oak, but nutty qualities), hints
of oxidation. The palate shows beautiful syrah "blueberry/plum/cherry"
fruit flavors and lingering tannins.
*2000 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah ($24)
Massive fruit nose, delicate and seductive, floral and sweet.
The palate shows dry lingering tanins with a Christmas-spice
oak finish that seems French in its spice quality. Luscious.
1999 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($28)
Lush typical varietal character. Bright at the front, tannic
in the middle of the toungue, and opening to chocolate in the
finish. Complex and excellent.
Hunt Cellars
David Hunt likes his oak, and most of his wines show a notable
warm oak profile of cloves, cinnamon toast and toffee. In general,
despite using more oak than most Paso wineries, Hunt's wines
have sufficiently structured fruit to adapt well to the oak and
maintain their balance. These are very good wines. (The tasting
notes from 4/04 took place during a large industry tasting and
don't have much detail.)
*1997 Petite Syrah (tasted 10/03)
Sweet fruit and a leathery nose, with hints of dusty tarmac,
oak vanillins and clove spice. Palate of rounded oily fruit,
not multilayered but big and mouth-coating. Dry spicy finish
of cloves and peppercorn, the characteristic barrel profile for
Hunt. (Re-tasted 4/04) getting a hint of clamshells and ocean
smells, with a mouthfull of tarry black fruit and some herbaceous
(fennel) character.
2000 Sangiovese (tasted 4/04)
Oaky nose of sweet taffy, caramel, honey; grapey fragrances show
a hint of fish pond and dark fruit. Soft in the mouth with caramel
oak finish. Not Hunt's best year for Sangiovese, which in 1999
was among their most interesting wines.
*2001 Syrah (tasted 4/04)
Nose of cinnamon and Christmas spices, bright blueberry and pomegranate
fruit, slightly sweet and floral in the mouth with big lingering
tannins. Excellent.
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Bon Vivant (tasted 4/04)
Good acidity with typical Paso Robles Cabernet profile of low
tannins and red cherry fruit, but lacking the common clay-dust
smells common in Paso wines. Not for long repose, but pleasant
now.
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Ovation (tasted 4/04)
Cinnamon oak with darker cherry fruit, bigger tannic structure
than Bon Vivant, with a longer future ahead of it. Generous mouth-filling
body with lingering oak.
1999 Meritage Rhapsody (tasted 4/04)
Dark and complex nose of plums and cassis, violets, caramel and
some Cabernet brambles and graphite. Ripe cherries and plums
in the mouth, generous fruit with balanced smooth acidity and
relatively low tannin for a Bordeaux-style blend.
2001 Zinfandel Outlaw Ridge (tasted 4/04)
Classic zinfandel fruit profile showing dark berries (raspberry,
blackberry and strawberry,) chocolate, fennel and liquorice,
sweet taffy and cinnamon oak. Big and warm in the mouth, a generous
ripe wine with enough earthy structure to give it some weight.
J. Lohr
1000 Lenzen Ave., San Jose, CA 95126
408-288-5057
Tasted December 2002 unless otherwise noted
(Moved from "South Bay Wineries" 5/04 to reflect the
Paso Robles grapes used in most J.Lohr wines. They have wineries
and tasting rooms in both San Jose and Paso Robles.)
2001 Sauvignon Blanc Carol's Vineyard ($18)
Round, fruity. Light mineral, touch of malolactic (bubblegum),
pineapple, grapefruit, spice.
2001 Chardonnay Estates Riverstone ($14)
Light nose, a bit reticent. Big buttery palate, fatty finish,
musty vanillins.
*2000 Chardonnay Arroyo Vista Vineyard ($25)
Generous spicy nose, smell of new oak, light tropical fruit.
Full visous mouth feel, buttered popcorn.
2001 White Riesling Estates Bay Mist (7.50)
A bit toasty, light, woody, not too sweet. Slight minerals. High
Acidity.
2000 Merlot Cypress($10)
Nose full of vanilla, taffy (American oak?). Front of palate
hints of cedar (pencil shavings), woody, somewhat austere like
some French merlots. Good value considering the complexity.
*2000 Merlot Los Osos ($15)
Smells hint at tobacco and cedar, vanillins and big ripe fruit.
Very big and toasty, low tannins keep the finish full and juicy.
2000 Zinfandel Cypress ($10)
Hints of mineral nose, a bit thin with candy components. Palate
of sweet fruit. Lingering vanilla oak finish.
1999 Zinfandel Old Vines Bramblewood Lodi ($15)
Predictable zin nose of strawberry and raspberry. Palate with
bright tannins, oak vanillins. The fruit darkens on the palate.
The strawberry does not dominate. Balanced finish.
*2000 Syrah Estates South Ridge ($15)
Nose of anise, orange, cassis, dark red fruit. Toasty charcoal
from French oak. Rounded lingering mid-palate, with a center
of liquorice/olive-like polymerized tannins. Very nice.
2000 Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles ($15) (tasted
3/04)
Nose full of fruit, dusty clay and toasted oak, cherries and
tobacco, vanilla and chocolate taffy, hints of fish pond, eucalyptus.
Palate is soft, ripe and simple, with Paso Robles sweet cherry
flavors, some eucalyptus sticking to the tongue, finishing into
oak and light soft tannins.
*1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Hilltop ($32)
A surprisingly generous nose of cedar, tobacco, chocolate, dark
cherries, a touch of mineral, cinamon toast. On the palate, the
ripe fruit tastes well balanced with structured acids and velvety
soft tannins. 24 months on new French oak did not overpower these
grapes. This wine compares well to much more expensive boutique
wines.
*1998 Cuvée POM ($75)
59% Merlot, 29.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11.2% Cabernet Franc
Brighter and more tannic than the Hilltop Cab. The fruit projects
more forward, a bit riper tasting (more fruit), less austere
at the beginning, more tannic at the finish with a hint of strawberries.
A good amount of movement in the flavors. Time will help center
and pull together the details, I would guess 5-10 years maximum.
The Hilltop seems like a better price-performance ratio, but
this is more complex.
Justin Vineyards
11680 Chimney Rock Rd.
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 237-4150, orders (800) 726-0049
A good quality vineyard, but many of the wines fell short
of expectation. I detected vegetal smells on several wines, and
I felt that prices generally seemed a touch high considering
these faults. The faults may have been amplified by tasting room
errors (bottles open too long.) I loved the Mourvedre and Syrah,
however, and the two whites tasted beautiful.
2001 Chardonnay Paso Robles ($18.50)
Sur lie aged, no malolactic, yet the wine still exudes a slight
buttery softness with hints of spice. On the palate, detecting
a minute hint of paint or terpentine from the perfumes, tropical
fruit, smooth and ripe pineapple and lemons. 14.5% alc.
2001 Chardonnay Reserve Paso Robles ($22.50)
The nose shows more grapfruit and more oak than the first. Higher
acidity, crisp fruit, coconut on the back of palate. 14.5% alc.
2000 Cal Ital ($22.50)
74% Nebbiolo, 26% Sangiovese. Jammy nose, a touch oxidized, tar
and blueberry. A quirky palate, with liquorice, vanilla, blueberry,
mushroom earthiness. 13.5% alc.
2000 Rioja Reserve ($22.50)
Nose has vegetal overtones, blueberry, cassis, very ripe fruit.
Cedary palate, pencil shavings, orange oil, but velvety soft
low tannin, soft acidity. 13.5% alc.
2000 Zinfandel ($22.50)
Nose gives off slight fragrances of cooked vegetables and red
meat, almost overripe. The palate shows ripe strawberry, hints
of chocolate and white pepper. 13.9% alc.
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles ($22.50)
Again giving off vegetal smells, making me wonder how long the
bottles in the tasting room have been open. Notes of dark spice,
but not particularly deep or complex. Palate shows typical Cabernet
cherry-liquorice tannins, but it's a bit one-dimensional. 13.5%
alc.
*2000 Syrah Estate Paso Robles ($22.50)
This one is worth the price, at last. A beautiful floral nose
with chocolate and lavender, black pepper, cinnamon, vanilla,
and traces of metallic minerals. Not vegetal. Palate of spicy
pepper, bittersweet chocolate, and hints of lingering sweetness.
14% alc.
*2000 Mourvedre ($24)
Another winner, with fragrances of vanilla, ripe cherry fruit,
sweet chocolate, cinnamon, deep and dark. Spicy palate, high
acidity, complex, with a touch of salty limestone mineral. Only
10 cases were remaining of this small run, and I was very tempted
to buy some. Maybe next year. 14% alc.
2001 Obtuse ($22.50)
A port-like sweet fortified Cabernet Sauvignon. Nose slightly
vegetal. Flavors very sweet and saturated, ripe blackberries,
lingering pepper.
L'Aventure
Stephan Vineyard
2815 Live Oak Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 227-1588
www.aventurewine.com
Stephan Asseo is unquestionably making some of the best wines
on the Central Coast. He moved here in 1997 from St. Emillion
in Bordeaux, where he made wine for 17 years at his family estate,
Domaine de Courteillac. He wanted to escape the binding rules
of the French AOC, and since then he has been adapting his sensibilities
to California weather and soil.
The resulting wines show the best of California ripeness and
large full-bodied flavor with the mineral and woody austerity
of the Bordelais. These are masculin wines, fully extracted,
with dry earthy tobacco and toasted flavors. I loved everything
that I tasted here. If I were to search for any criticism, I
would venture to say that L'Aventure's strong new French oak
treatment might tend to mask the fruit a bit. Yet, most of what
I tasted here were barrel samples, and I expect that the oak
will integrate more holistically in a few years.
*2001 Optimus (barrel tasting, $45)
The color is opaque, almost black. Restrained nose of mineral,
toast, tobacco, dust, dark chocolate, dry leaves like an oak
forest in Autumn. Spicy tannic mouth feel, ripe, toasted, new
oak. Deep extraction, lingering flavors of dry tobacco leaves,
cinnamon smells in the glass. Strong and burly. 15.5% alc.
*2001 Zinfandel (barrel tasting, $25)
30 brix when picked (PH was 3.6). Stephan actually removed some
of the alcohol by reverse osmosis during fermentation, to prevent
the yeast from sticking and therefore to allow the wine to go
to full dryness. Nose is deep and dusty with dark spices (clove,
allspice, black pepper), tobacco, black cherries, chocolate.
Palate has high clean acidity, clove spice, deep ripe blackberries.
Flavors finish with lingering brambly acids, ripe fruit and tobacco.
Rustic and muscular. 15.6% alc.
*2001 Estate Cuvée (barrel tasting, $75)
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petite Verdot, 20% Syrah. Nose has
hints of violets and rose petals (from the Syrah), deep cinnamon,
earth, chocolate, anise and lavender. Palate full of seductive
fruit, intensely concentrated, surrounded by well polymerized
tannins, becoming soft and smooth as it lingers. Tobacco and
toast surround the fruit at the center of the palate. The flavors
slowly fade into a violet perfume finish, similar to the fragrance
note at the beginning. This wine has a slightly more "feminine"
profile than the others. A whopping 16% alcohol, but doesn't
smell "hot".
*2000 Optimus ($45)
50% Cabernet, 40% Syrah, some Zinfandel and others blended. Nose
with a touch of bramble, vanilla, tobacco, cherries, dusty dried
rose petals, with a tiny hint of acetaldehyde. Mouth full of
big tannins, toasted tobacco, peppery spice, huge but delicate.
Peachy Canyon
1480 N. Bethel Rd.
Templeton, CA 93465
805-239-1918
Tasting room off Highway 46 west of Paso Robles
Peachy Canyon is a very good winery with a brighter style
than one would expect from Paso Robles. Overall high acidity
and black pepper spices give good structure to their better big
reds, but I find their pricing a touch high relative to the flavors,
at least at the winery.
2001 Incredible Red Zinfandel Bin 112 ($12)
An easy fruit forward wine, more simple than their others. Forward
raspberry jam, sweetness on palate, smooth finish.
2000 Westside Zinfandel ($19)
A slightly reticent nose of minerals and strawberry. Dry toasty
palate with spicy cloves and cinamon, subdued fruit, high acidity,
hints of cedar and medium-heavy toasted oak. 15.5% alc.
2000 Benito Dusi Zinfandel ($26)
From the older of the two Dusi vineyards, the same grapes used
in the Ridge Paso Robles. The 2000 Dusi vintage has developed
into some huge ripe chocolatey zins, among my favorite of that
vintage. Peachy Canyon's has a nose of dark cherry fruit, black
pepper and cinamon. Palate shows a lot of acid and tannin, with
brambly flavors that hint at partial whole cluster fermentation.
A big rustic ripe zin, 15% alc.
2000 Old Schoolhouse Zinfandel ($26)
Nose gives hints of black pepper and cherry pie, bitter chocolate
and cinamon. Soft tannins with a supple mouth feel, good structure
and lingering tannins. 14.5% alc.
2000 Mustang Springs Ranch Zinfandel ($26)
Light and dry compared to the others, peppery nose, slightly
herbal or minty, hints of brambles and pepper on the palate with
good complexity. 14% alc.
*1999 Estate Bottled Zinfandel ($20, sold only by case)
Vanilla and floral nose with hints of terpine, perfumey almost
like Cabernet Franc. Ripe extracted flavors with high acidity,
soft oak profile, a hint of cinamon or Christmas spices at the
finish, but not overpowering. Dry and complex, with less black
pepper tones than their other zins. 15.5% alc.
2000 Syrah ($18)
Caramalized vanilla nose, cherries, sweet floral overtones. Palate
is peppery, with cherries, chocolate,liquorice, and finishes
with subtle French oak profiles. 13.3% alc.
*1999 Merlot ($23)
A surprizingly complex wine, with Bordeaux-like mineral tones
and ageworthy qualities. Nose is ripe and jammy with notes of
musk or sweat. Spicy mineral-earth flavors with strong tannins
and dry extracted finish. Excellent. 14.5% alc.
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon ($25)
Nose dominated by vanillins, with ripe tones of cassis and cherry
liquorice, tobacco, cloves, brambly crushed leaves, high acidity
and lingering developed tannins. Shows good varietal characteristics.
1999 Para Siempre ($38)
A blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc.
The nose does not show the typical floral tones of the Cab Franc,
with more cedar and cinamon character from the oak. The palate
is very fruity and ripe, with currant and berry flavors. Excellent
but overpriced.
1998 Port ($25, 375 ml)
Nose is slightly vegetal, with orange oil notes. Palate sweet
and chocolatey, caramel taffy and prunes. Full flavor but not
exceptionally complex. 18.3% alc.
Robert Hall
Highway 46 just east of Paso Robles
A new winery with an infusion of private funds from the namesake,
a succesful developer in the central coast. Robert Hall dug a
huge artificial cave under the hillside, the size of a parking
garage. The winemaker gave me a tour with barrel tastings of
the 2001 vintage, which I think could be a landmark year for
Paso Robles (and a good one for California in general.) The 2000
vintage was decent, but the tastes of 2001 were good enough for
me to join their club for shipments. I detect an underlying character
of peppertree sap on many of their wines (perhaps from their
use of Hungarian oak) along with relatively low or well-integrated
tannin.
2001 Rose de Robles ($14)
Clean dry flavors, very dry with good acidity. Lightly dusty
nose, orange blossoms and spice. Bright strawberry flavors with
a hint of pepper. I think this would be great with Asian food.
2000 Chardonnay ($18)
Nose of butter and butterscotch, hint of smoke and wood, ripe
pineapple and limestone. Clean mouth feel but with deep and buttery
palate, slightly warm spices. Not too buttery relative to others
in this style.
2001 Rhone de Robles ($18)
Nose with green peppercorns, mixed blossoms, cinnamon, brambles,
dust, chocolate cherries. Peppery palate, a hint woody, bitter
cocoa and cherries, smoke, a light finish. An unusual blend of
grenache, syrah, cinsault and counnoise.
*2000 Merlot ($20)
Big fragrances of pepper, cedar, mint, plum, lapsang souchong
tea and cinnamon. The palate delivers the same as the nose with
added pepperwood sap and cherries. Minute residula sweetness,
low tannin, somewhat low acidity.
2000 Cabernet Sauvignon ($20)
Nose of cassis and dusty rose, floral and feminine in the manor
that many 2000 vintage Paso wines have been. Tastes almost like
a lighter version of the Merlot, with low tannin, pepper, plums,
chocolate.
2000 Syrah ($20)
Very fruity nose, floral and ripe, with taffy, cherries, cocoa
and dust. The starts big and then simplifies as it opens. Flavors
also big and fruity, with plums, cherries, mild cocoa, like a
plump feminine beauty. Lingering cinnamon and tobacco finish
(oak profile.)
1999 Syrah Reserve Huerhuero Creek Vineyard ($28)
Tight at first, then starts to release tobacco and peppery spice
fragrances. Higher acidity than the other syrah, but still very
integrated tannins, big fruit and tobacco finish. This needs
even more time, and I think it will become lovely and complex.
2000 Zinfandel ($24)
Showing the softer side of the 200 vintage. Big fruit nose with
a hint vegetal (not to the point of a flaw.) Chery fruit, vanilla,
pepper, a touch of fish. Bright and fruity in the mouth, but
a hint green.
2001 Zinfandel ($24)
A giant that hopefully points to good things to come for the
year 2001. Smells of caramalized cinamon candy, tobacco, tea,
chocolate and warm spices. Huge palate with ripe fruit and tobacco,
dark chocolate, jam. A beautiful big muscular zinfandel.
2001 Syrah Paso Robles ($12 at Trader Joes)
(tasted 9/03) Upon opening, smells very young: gravel dust, vanilla,
light cherry, fruit forward, a hint smokey opening up into hint
of sweet pipe tobacco. Palate shows clean fruit profile, very
balanced, needs several years in the bottle or some time in a
decanter before it shows more depth. The smoke smells are very
promising. As it opens for a few hours, more grassy smells arise,
giving more of the syrah profile, more blueberry astringency
and wirey qualities. Good value.
2002 Rhone de Robles ($18)
Brighter and lighter than the 2001 vintage of this Rhone-style
blend. Nose shows clean ripe red cherry and raspberry fruit,
almost reminiscent of fruit punch. Hints of chocolate and anise,
clay dust, leather, yet overall rather simple fruit profile.
Palate of cocoa and cherry, medium to low acidity, soft dusty
tannins, sweet oak smells linger in glass. Best not to age this
one, enjoy it young.
Tablas Creek
9339 Adelaida Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 237-1231
This collaboration between wine merchant Robert Haas and the
Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel has started their first
decade with several auspicious vintages. I first tasted their
1997 Vinter's Cuvée at a friend's restaurant, and I immediately
noticed the spicy chocolate tones and rustic tannins of mourvedre
grapes.
Tablas Creek is aiming to become the Chateauneuf du Pape of
California, and they chose their site carefully to optimize soil
and weather conditions for the Rhone varietals that they imported
from France. After waiting three years while the Department of
Agriculture certified their cuttings to be free of disease, they
began a horticultural project to graft and establish these vines
in the central coast. They sell syrah, marsanne, mourvedre, counoise,
roussanne, grenache and other vines to surrounding vineyards.
Of course, this gives me hope to find more mourvedre from the
Central Coast!
These wines are extremely complex, large and ripe yet delicate
and clean tasting. True to French tradition, most of these wines
are blends between several grape varities, which tends to show
more of the vineyard qualities and vintner's style instead of
pure varietal character. Tablas Creek's style tends towards bright
acidity and brambly chocolatey depth for the reds, and fully
malolactic tropical spice for the whites, all with clean mineral
limestone aromas and solid tannins. Most of the reds seem very
age-worthy.
As the vintages move towards recent years, the vines are extending
their roots deeper into the limestone soil, and I expect the
product will become more complex, with a deeper mineral profile.
The 2001 and 2002 vintages should be monstrous.
2000 Clos Blanc ($35)
45% Roussanne, 19% Marsanne, 19% Viognier, 17% Grenache Blanc.
Nose of soft limestone, pineapple, bubble gum, apricot, fennel
greens, very tropical and exotic. Palate of mineral dryness,
a bit salty, buttery with spice, lingering tropical and pineapple
qualities. A good balance between fruit acidity and malolactic
softness. 13.5%
2001 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc ($35)
44% Roussanne, 22% Viognier, 18% Grenache Blanc, 16% Marsanne.
Basically the same cuvée as the Clos Blanc, they changed
the name in the newer vintages to reflect their high-end wines.
Nose still reflects pineapple tones, but more citrus in comparison
to 2000. Hints of Meyer lemon, perhaps from the viognier. MOre
spicey on the palate, but the nose has more caramalized qualities,
a stronger oak fingerprint. Hint of efforvescence on the tongue
would fade with time. 13.8% alc.
2000 Antithesis Chardonnay ($35)
Mineral limestone nose, with high fruit acidity despite full
malolactic. Hints of spice - cardamon? Buttery palate with subtle
clove qualities. The finishing scents are slightly toasty, yet
clearly not overoaked. The oak and fruit qualities show delicate
balance. 14.2% alc.
1998 Rouge ($32.50)
44% Mourvedre, 24% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 11% Counoise. Dusty nose
with hints of chocolatey oxidation, dark cherries and cedar.
Bright acidity on the palate, with high tannin, brambly characteristics,
crushed leaves, clove and peppery spice. 13.8% alc.
1999 Petite Cuvée ($22)
65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. Nose shows a hint of
liquorice, currants, ripe blackberries. Big spicy palate with
bright fruit and a peppery lingering finish. The blend ratio
resembles a Chateauneuf, but the flavors point to California.
15.2% alc.
*1999 Reserve Cuvée ($35)
2400 cases made. Similar ratio to '98 Rouge. Nose of cinnamon,
cedar, black pepper, currants. Ripe mid-palate fruit with dark
black cherry, yet a bit spicy and acidic. Long finish has a hint
of vanilla with fireplace ash from French oak. Dry tannins. Seems
extremely ageworthy, maybe developing for 10-15 years. 14.5%
alc.
*2000 Cotes de Tablas ($22)
84% Grenache, 16% Syrah. Jammy nose with clove, nutmeg, cinnamon.
Flavors of liquorice tannin and velvety smooth fruit. Becomes
a fruit explosion, lush and ripe, but with an increasingly bright
acidic finish, yet with soft tannin and low oak. Not for ageing,
more like a good fat Paso Robles red. 15.6% alc.
*2000 Esprit de Beaucastel ($35)
The renamed Reserve Cuvée, to designate the top of the
line. 4,500 cases made. 35% Mourvedre, 26% Syrah, 25% Grenache,
14% Counoise. Nose of chocolate, clove, rare beef (mineral iron),
not with obvious ripe fruit-forward smells. The palate again
shows high acidity, spicy brambles and wood, humus. Very complex
and almost rustic. A big wine. 14.6% alc.
2001 Côtes de Tablas ($20)
Perrín declassified these grapes from the Esprit de Beaucastel
because he didn't think they had the structure or longevity:
all the better for big wine lovers, because the same grapes drop
into an affordable class for many. This one is indeed much softer
and lower acid than previous Beaucastel, but makes up for it
with loads of ripe chocolate and cherry fruit, limestone minerality
and cocoa tannins, with a hint of anise and rust. Seems dominated
by Mourvèdre.
Other Central Coast Wines
2000 Alban Vineyards Larraine Syrah, Edna Valley (tasted 10/03)
One of those huge wines that taste "black" to my synaesthetic
brain. Multilayered nose of blueberry/cherry, horse manure or
fermented grass (Brett), lamb fat, a bit metallic. Leathery but
smooth in the mouth, oily and clinging, with a serious viscous
tarry finish, rounded and warm with few flavor protrusions. Everything
unifies into a mysterious polished black intensity. Wow.
1996 B3 Zaca Mesa Syrah, Black Bear Block (tasted 10/03)
Bright, ripe and bold Santa Barbara cherry-style Syrah. Nose
of cassis and ripe cherry juice, opening up into mild age effects
of fish and pond water, with subdued chocolate and vanilla. Palate
is clear with a full mouth-feel, flavors of bright cherry, a
hint of cocoa, lingering acidity, subdued and integrated oak
tones. (14% alc.)
2000 Byron Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley (tasted 10/03)
Nose of barnyard, horse manure, sweet warm vanilla candy, a bit
cloying. Palate shows the full earthiness of the varietal, with
leather and tobacco, within a matrix of sweet fruit and vanilla
oak. This definitely falls on the earthy-haystack side of the
Pinot Noir spectrum. I like it! (14.1% alc.)
2000 Clos Mimi Syrah Bunny Slope Vineyard, Paso Robles (tasted
4/04)
An uncomprimising, complex, almost bizarre wine. Salty briney
nose, grassy and a bit metallic, limestone minerality resembles
crushed clamshells. Fragrances of tight blackberry fruit, allspice,
bananas and black pepper. The palate doesn't give away its fruit
freely, with austere oaky citrus and a mouth-feel that almost
seems galvanic. Words fail to encompass these sorts of flavors.
Absolutely unique.
1999 Ojai Vineyard Syrah (Stolpman Vineyard) (tasted 2/04)
Nose of ripe cherries, pepper, oak vanillins, calm, not intensely
complex. The first note on the palate is sweetness, then bright
acidity, followed by lingering tannins. In mid-palate, flashes
of cinnamon and cocoa butter add detail to a calm musical progression
of ripe syrah flavors. Definitely a Californian wine.
1999 Pandora Edna Valley Grenache/Syrah (tasted 2/04)
The nose is deep and ripe, with chocolate, sea breeze, smokey
oregano spice, blueberry and earthy caramel, slight hints of
eucalyptus (not unpleasant), burnt leather and hayloft. These
strike me as smells more indicative of Syrah than Grenache, despite
the 60/40 dominance of the latter. The palate shows low acidity,
well integrated soft tannins, dominated by bright plum/bluberry
fruit. After breathing for two hours, deep ferric qualities joined
the flavors, hints of rust, red meat and sulphur. (14.3% alc.)
2001 Paraiso Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands) (tasted 2/04)
Excellent cool weather pinot, with deep extracted flavors and
firm acidity. Nose shows slightly pinched black cherries, oolong
tea, smokey oak with some splintery qualities (needs time), leather,
mint leaves. Palate offers a flurry of soft and ripe flavors
blending with bright and tight texture from firm acidity and
tannin, a mouth watering finish. (13.5% alc.)
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