Big Basin

Bradley Brown is making some serious, top notch Syrahs that are worth the effort to find. This estate was started in 2000 with a new winery being built in 2003. They practice 100% destemmed, whole berry fermentation. Visiting is certainly difficult and the drive up to the winery makes the drive up Spring Mountain in Napa look like an afternoon stroll.

• 2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Sri - USA, California (3/5/2008)
  A great Rose that shows a fragrant and ripe nose of strawberry bubble gum. Full bodied with a nice acidity, a great texture and long finish. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Mandala - USA, California (3/5/2008)
  This blend of 65% Rattlesnake vineyard syrah and 35% Fairview ranch syrah has knockout aromatics of smoky blackberry and cassis fruit mixed with briar, spice and bacon notes. The palate is medium to full bodied with nice precision and silky tannins on the finish. Very well built with solid structure and balance. (93 pts.)
• 2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Rattlesnake Rock - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/5/2008)
  Barrel Sample. Packed with dark fruit, oak and coffee notes, this is a burly, backwards and tannic wine. Full bodied with nice concentration and ripe tannins on the finish.

Picchetti

A nice touristy styled visit and there’s a stunning hiking trail that leaves from the parking lot. We tasted these wines after doing an hour hike and I was still tasting blood in the back of my throat after being goaded into racing Sean up a ridiculously steep hill. They do a number of different wines with their NV Red Pavone blend being the most interesting.

• 2006 Picchetti Viognier Vista Verde Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, San Benito County (3/2/2008)
  This wine showed a very floral boquet with peaches and honeyed fruit aromas as well. Medium bodied with clean fruit and nice acidity. (88 pts.)
• N.V. Picchetti Pavone - USA, California (3/2/2008)
  This possesses an earthy, blackberry and vanilla scented nose, medium body, sweet fruit and nice texture. There’s a slightly tart twang to on the finish but this is delicious. (88 pts.)
• 2006 Picchetti Pinot Noir Truchard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros (3/2/2008)
  Bright and juicy with wild strawberry and cherry fruit mixed with vanilla notes. The palate is medium bodied with a light midpalate and a slightly tart finish. (86 pts.)
• 2006 Picchetti Super Tuscan - USA, California (3/2/2008)
  More on the subtle side, this gives up red fruit notes of strawberry and cherry notes with some coaxing. Medium bodied with sweet fruit but a slightly short finish. (85 pts.)
• 2006 Picchetti Syrah - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Clara County (3/2/2008) (79 pts.)
• 2004 Picchetti Zinfandel Bellicitti Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Clara County (3/2/2008)
  This wine shows a lot of VA and acetone notes that cover up the underlying fruit notes. Medium bodied with a tart, tannic finish. (77 pts.)

Ridge

Aptly named, this winery is located at the very top of a windy, one lane road and it’s a wonder that the fruit actually gets ripe up there given the altitude and seemingly constant wind. Along with Royce Simpson, aka Royster, and Sean O’Leary, aka “doctor O’Leary”, we did multiple visits here with the highlight being the Monte Bello Cabernet release party where we were able to taste all of the individual components of the 2007 Monte Bello as well as the first cut at the final blend.

• 2002 Ridge Home Ranch - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/2/2008)
  A blend of 50% Cab, 48% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, this shows lots of oak notes as well as rich fruit. Vanilla, graphite and coffee notes are supported by blackberry and other dark fruit on the nose and the palate is medium to full bodied. Rich and structured, this has a tannic, long finish. (90 pts.)
• 1998 Ridge Lytton Springs - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (3/2/2008)
  77% Zin, 16% Petit Sirah. A medium bodied and balanced wine with subtle cherry, spice, leather and ever a little horse aromatics. Not a blockbuster but shows nice complexity and is easy drinking. (89 pts.)
• 2005 Ridge Mazzoni Home Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County (3/2/2008)
  A blend of 65% Zin, 35% Carignan and 5% Petit Sirah, this wine offers up killer aromatics of briary raspberry and black cherry fruit mixed with spice, vanilla and meat. It’s medium to full bodied with great texture, clean fruit and a long finish. (90 pts.)
• 2003 Ridge Zinfandel York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (3/2/2008)
  A heady, high toned wine with spicy black fruit and raspberry aromatics, medium bodied, balanced and with a long, slightly hot finish. (86 pts.)
• 2002 Ridge Syrah Lytton Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (3/2/2008)
  A great wine with dark fruit, cassis, blackberry, spice and earth notes wrapped around a medium to full bodied core. Ripe, balance and with sweet fruit, this has nice depth and length. (91 pts.)
• 2002 Ridge Petite Sirah Lytton Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (3/2/2008)
  A real wow wine, this blend of 84% Petit Sirah and 16% Zin has stunning aromatics of tar, purple fruits, briar, earth, vanilla and even hints of flowers. Medium to full bodied with ripe fruit, nice acidity, impressive balance and a long, tannic finish. (93 pts.)
• 2004 Ridge Chardonnay Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/8/2008)
  Showing the typical Mont Bello high class oak notes, this is delicious with rich tropical fruit notes supported by crisp minerality and smoke aromas. Medium bodied with impressive balance and a long, clean finish. (93 pts.)
• 2004 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/8/2008)
  Very pretty with both black and red fruit notes, spice, earth and herb aromas. With air, this shows some more new oak and vanilla notes. It’s medium bodied, pure, well balanced and has a clean, medium length finish. (89 pts.)
• 2005 Ridge Geyserville - USA, California, Sonoma County (3/8/2008)
  Showing bright, jammy raspberry fruit, this has great aromatics, medium body and a nice finish. It’s young and primary but well balanced and delicious. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/8/2008)
  A stunning wine that while big and rich, is also impeccably balanced, pure and precise. The nose shows beautiful blackberry aromas mixed with smoke, stone, tobacco and subtle oak and vanilla notes. The palate is medium to full bodied with beautifully rich fruit, solid structure, outstanding texture and a long finish with medium tannins. (94 pts.)
• 2007 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/8/2008)
  First blend. This is packed with raspberry jam and cassis aromas mixed with lead pencil, tobacco, and mineral notes. Medium bodied with nice precision, a smooth texture and a long finish. (93 pts.)

Storrs

Located in downtown Santa Cruz, this is a touristy styled tasting room featuring well made, albeit slightly uninteresting wine.

• 2006 Storrs Chardonnay - USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey (3/5/2008)
  Very tropical with pineapple and guava notes sitting on top of plenty of butter aromas; this is seemingly off dry with a simple, sweet palate. (82 pts.)
• 2006 Storrs Chardonnay - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/5/2008)
  A blend from several vineyards, this has a crisp, citrus and mineral driven bouquet, full body and a nice finish. (88 pts.)
• 2004 Storrs Red Wine St. Clare Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/5/2008)
  A blend of Merlot, malbec and Petit Verdot, this offers up nice dark fruit notes mixed with olive, herb and earthy notes. Medium bodied and balanced. (86 pts.)
• 2004 Storrs Syrah - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (3/5/2008)
  This is a straightforward syrah that gives up bright purple fruit, plum, roasted herb and spice aromas that lead into a medium bodied palate. While this has a nice texture, it possesses jarring acidity and finishes with a slight astringent note. (84 pts.)
• 2004 Storrs Zinfandel Lion Oaks Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Clara Valley (3/5/2008)
  Impressive stuff, this is rich and decadent with big raspberry and spice notes leading into a rich, medium bodied palate. Lush, textured and easy drinking. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Storrs Zinfandel - USA, California, Central Coast (3/5/2008)
  While this started off with a reticent nose, it picked up steam in the glass and shows pure raspberry jam, pepper, spice and earthy notes. Medium bodied with a lush texture and sweet fruit; this is a soft, easy drinking zin that lacks structure. (86 pts.)

After spending a day further north, we spent the day hanging out in Santa Maria and Los Olivos. As opposed to the power tasting method we used in Paso, we ended up spending lots of time with a small number of producers.

Core

Coming closest in style to Tablas Creek from further north, Dave Core is producing some outstanding Rhone styled wines from the region. He is also one of the few producers to use the large foudre styled tanks that are so common in Chateauneuf du Pape and I think the results speak for themselves. We tasted through multiple barrels of each of his cuvees, trying Hungarian oak against American oak against tank, etc. etc. and had an all around great time. I unfortunately had my head up my ass and didn’t take enough notes because I can’t remember all of the wines we went through. There was a tank fermented 2006 Grenache (”Cuvee Flechasomethingoranother”) that was stunning as well as a couple more whites. Overall, all of these wines were impressive and had great precision and purity.

• 2006 Core Elevation Sensation Alta Mesa - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
  Beautiful with bright, earthy fruit, nice concentration and a balanced, structured character. (92 pts.)
• 2006 Core Mister Moreved Alta Mesa - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
  Barrel Sample. Outstanding with dark, earthy and meaty fruit aromas sitting on top of a balanced, rich and almost elegant palate. (93 pts.)
• 2006 C3 Tempranillo - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
  Barrel Sample. Possessing some brilliant Tempranillo fruit, this has a silky texture and masses of silky tannins on the finish. Very tannic.

Herman Story

Located in the same building as Core, the amicable and enthusiastic Russell From produces roughly 2200 cases of some kick ass Syrah and Grenache under the Herman Story Label. Granted, these are not for the weak of heart and Russell’s motto of “Bigger is Better” is certainly evident when you taste through his wines. Regardless of the variety, his 2006 wines all shared a common purple, borderline black and completely opaque color as well as blockbuster aromatics, massive concentration, huge body, texture and length. Are these wines over the top? Maybe. Certainly in the some cases, some varietal character is lost and while tasting through barrel after barrel, I had to keep asking what the hell was in the glass; Grenache, Syrah or who knows what. Trust me, color is no indication and I am simply not familiar enough with this style of wine to really understand what’s going on or where these wines are going. Regardless of whether you like the results or not, watching Russell dip into barrel after barrel, comment and taste along with us, or talk about his next experiment or trial, you have to admire the courage, skill and enthusiasm the guy shows. All I can say is that I can’t wait to see what he comes up with in the future and I loved tasting through his wines! Make no mistake about it though; these are big, rich, high alcohol wines.

• 2007 Herman Story Marsanne - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
  Barrel sample. Wow, freaking killer juice. This is amazingly rich, buttery, nutty and decadent but also beautifully balanced with nice precision and rock star length on the finish. (94 pts.)
• 2007 Herman Story Roussanne - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
  Barrel sample. Big, bold and rich, this shows ripe fruit, floral and oak aromas as well as a full bodied, balanced palate. (91 pts.)
• 2006 Herman Story Grenache - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
  This inky, jet black wine shows massive amounts of bright, spicy raspberry and blackberry fruit aromas supported by licorice, garrigue, and earth notes. Every so slightly high-toned, this displays nice grenache character but is simply massively concentrated and full bodied. (91 pts.)
• 2006 Herman Story Grenache Larner Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
  Sporting a jet black, completely opaque color, this wine is a powerhouse that just won’t quite and offers up decadent levels of dark fruit, blackberry, espresso roast, and vanilla aromas. Full bodied with awesome texture and a long, heady finish, this is massively concentrated and structured. I don’t think anyone would guess this as a grenache based wine but it’s delicious none the less. (94 pts.)
• 2006 Herman Story Syrah Nuts and Bolts - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
  A 100% syrah bottling, this displays massive aromatics of cassis, dark fruits, cracklings, raw meat and vanilla aromas. The palate is full bodied and massively concentration and rich. Despite its size, it has nice precision, fabulous texture and a long, heady finish. (93 pts.)

Arcadian

Sean O’Leary is part of the Arcadian Grand Cru club and as such, we were lucky enough to spend multiple hours with Joe Davis driving all over the area and checking out the vineyards where Joe’s wines come from.. and if you think the guy’s wine is good, you have to see how well he drives his Toyota 4 Runner… I still remember him nonchalantly informing us that we were going for a little ride as he floored it and we go careening down the east side of the Westerly Vineyard at 40+ mph.. the highlight of the trip and I don’t know how we didn’t break an axle or roll. While Joe seems to be best known for his Pinot, his Syrah based wines are fantastic! I can’t say enough about how hospitable and accommodating Joe was and he’s a straight shooting, all around great guy.

• 2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Rita Hills
  Very pretty with cherry and strawberry fruit, medium to light body and a clean finish. (87 pts.)
• 2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Dierberg Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
  A beautiful wine with black cherry, stone, smoke and earth aromas on the rich, precise nose. The palate is medium bodied with nice precision and verve that is reminiscent of a top red burgundy. This shows nice structure and a beautiful sourness on the long finish. (92+ pts.)
• 2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Francesca’s Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
  Tasted both at the winery and later over dinner. Seemingly more open and lush than the Dierberg, this possesses pretty strawberry, brick dust, cherry and spice aromatics. Medium bodied and it builds in intensity in the mouth, it has a silky texture, nice balance and a medium length finish. (91 pts.)
• 2003 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
  This was tasted at the winery and then later over dinner and is a dark, dense Syrah that is simply stunning due to its purity, structure, precision and balance. The nose gives up awesome aromatics of dark fruit, earth, smoke and tar and with air, this picks up subtle game, leather, licorice and spiced meat notes. The palate is medium to full bodied with perfect balance, a precise texture, rich fruit and a long, rich and fruit filled finish. (95 pts.)
• 2004 Arcadian Syrah Westerly Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
  Tasted at the winery as well as over the next two days and it never failed to impress. The nose is ripe and exuberant but there’s nice structure and restraint as well. Plum and blackberry aromas are supported by spice and subtle sauvage and leather aromas that show up with air. The palate is beautiful with great fruit, ripe tannins and a long finish. (93 pts.)

A truly beautiful area that is packed with outstanding producers. For some reason, the majority of tasting rooms charge a decent fee for tastings and pours can be dismal. The amount of acreage under vine is shocking and with most of the vines being very young, it will be interesting to see what happens as this area matures. All of the following notes are from a jam packed day trip through the region with Sean O’Leary and Royce Simpson.

Booker Vineyard

The 2006 wines were made by Eric Jensen from mainly young vines (7 years) planted on a steep, southerly facing hillside. Maybe the requirement of old vines for making outstanding wines is a myth or maybe these are simply the result of some outstanding winemaking; either way, all of these were outstanding and showed pure fruit, impressive balance and nice length.

• 2007 Booker Vineyard Pink - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache, this has great aromatics highlighting cherry and strawberry fruit. It’s medium to full bodied with nice acidity, sweet fruit and a nice finish. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Booker Vineyard White - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Wow, a blockbuster blend of 65% Roussanne and 35% Viognier that see neutral wood; this has killer depth and richness. The nose is packed with rich, buttered fruit, toasted nut and oil aromas that are both unique and captivating. Medium bodied with a balanced, clean texture, awesome depth, rich fruit and a long finish. (93 pts.)
• 2005 Booker Vineyard Remnant - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This shows bright blackberry and raspberry fruit, spice, earth and subtle herb aromas on the nose and a medium bodied, well balanced palate. Clean, pure and well made, this shows rich fruit on the long finish. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Booker Vineyard Syrah Fracture - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This is 100% Syrah that is completely destemmed and aged for 18 months in 100% new oak. Simply a stunning bottle of wine that has cassis, blackberry, spice and vanilla aromas literally jumping from the glass and despite the exuberance and lofty alcohol, there’s not a hint of heat and the fruit has incredible levels of richness. Full bodied and builds in the mouth, this has nice acidity, perfect balance and a long finish. (95 pts.)

Summerwood

Producing roughly 4800 cases, this estate has a slightly lackluster tasting room but excellent, well made wines.

• 2005 Summerwood “Diosa Blanc” - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A blend of 50% Viognier and 49% Roussanne, this possesses floral aromatics of honey, peach and subtle nutty aromas. Medium bodied with a crisp, well balanced palate. (88 pts.)
• 2004 Summerwood Syrah Paso Robles - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  An enjoyable Syrah that has lots of spicy dark fruit notes, medium body and medium tannins on the finish. Lacks depth on the midpalate. (87 pts.)
• 2004 Summerwood Diosa - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This is a blend of 84% Syrah, 12% Grenache and 4% Mourvedre that possesses beautiful aromatics of cassis, blackberry and briary underbrush and spice. Medium to full bodied, it has an outstanding palate that is textured, balanced and long. (92 pts.)
• 2003 Summerwood Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  96% Cabernet and 4% Merlot. Showing high toned, bright fruit, this has dark fruit, spice, ink, briar and herb aromas on the nose. Medium bodied with nice fruit and subtle tannins on the finish. (87 pts.)

Villa Creek

These wines are made by Chris Cherry and a nicer, more generous fellow you won’t find. After tasting though seemingly every bottle produced by the guy, he ushered us into his cellars for one kick ass barrel sample after another. Almost all of the bottled wines tasted possessed a juicy, pure, fruit driven character with the highlight being the High Road Syrah followed by the structured 2005 Onda and the rocking 2005 Avenger.
As if opening 10 bottles for us wasn’t enough, Chris took us through a kick ass barrel tasting of some unique and interesting blends. The 2007 James Barry Syrah has my name on it and a taste of the 2007 Nebbiolo takes the cake as the most tannic wine I’ve ever tasted. I literally couldn’t move my lips to smile or talk and swishing this crazy stuff around in my mouth. Despite the tannins, there was nice acidity and beautiful fruit. A sample of the 2007 Mourvedre was impressive as was a fabulous 2007 Aglianico. Hat’s off to Chris for one of the most enjoyable visits of our trip through the region!

• 2007 Villa Creek Pink - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  100% tank fermented and possessing a pretty, floral, cherry and strawberry scented nose, medium body and a clean, crisp texture. (88 pts.)
• 2007 Villa Creek “White” - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Very pretty with floral aromas, bubble gum and ripe tropical fruits. Very fruity with a soft texture and a long, clean finish. (90 pts.)
• 2006 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This is aged for 13 months in oak with 50% being new. The nose is ripe with cherry and wild strawberry, spice and vanilla aromas. Juicy with sweet fruit, nice texture, medium body and a soft, easy drinking character. With air though, this really gained depth, weight and richness with more of the underlying structure showing. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Villa Creek Willow Creek Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre. Packed with dark fruit, black cherry, earth and spice notes, this shows sweet, upfront fruit, nice purity and subtle tannins on the long finish. (92 pts.)
• 2006 Villa Creek Willow Creek Cuvée - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre. A little more perfumed and red fruit oriented than the 2005, this possesses nice cherry cola, spice, garrigue and subtle spice aromas on the nose. It’s medium bodied with a smooth, lush texture, upfront fruit and a juicy, medium to long finish. (91 pts.)
• 2006 Villa Creek Mas de Maha - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  60% Ohana Tempranillo, 25% Denner Grenache and 15% Booker Mourvèdre. Possessing a ripe profile, this shows red fruits, licorice, herbs and spice aromas on the deep and rich nose. The palate is rocking with lush fruit, low acidity, a solid mid-palate and a medium length finish. (91 pts.)
• 2006 Villa Creek Palenque - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  50% Denner Grenache and whole cluster Mourvedre, co-fermented. With a fair bit of stems included, this puppy shows a spicy, earthy, meaty and leathery scented nose. With air, black pepper, herb and underbrush notes support the ripe, cherry slanted fruit. Medium to full bodied, this has nice texture and palate weight, sweet fruit and subtle tannins on the finish. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Villa Creek High Road James Berry Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Always good when the first word in the note is a Wow and this bad boy has killer aromatics. Dark fruit, cassis, blackberry, earth and new oak come jumping out of the glass and there’s impressive depth, complexity and richness. The palate is full bodied with awesome balance, rich, sweet fruit and silky, ripe tannins on the long finish. (94 pts.)
• 2005 Villa Creek Onda - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A blend of 1/3 Ohana Tempranillo, 1/3 James Berry Vineyard Syrah and 1/3 Denner Mourvedre, this sees 24 months in new oak. The nose is fantastic with blackberry fruit aromas being supported by coffee, caramel, and earth notes. Medium bodied with clean, pure and rich fruit, impressive structure and a tannic, long finish. 93+ (93 pts.)
• 2005 Villa Creek Avenger - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Showing bright raspberry, smoke, and earth aromas, this is a beautiful GSM blend and is medium bodied with sweet fruit, a smooth texture and a long finish. (93 pts.)

Tablas Creek

The style of these wines is distinctly different from other wines of the area and possesses a certain cut and density that is very reminiscent of wines from the Southern Rhone. Served blind, I would easily (and probably most certainly) guess either of the Esprit de Beaucastel wines as a high end Chateauneuf du Pape and the affordable Cotes du Tablas is a California version of a top notch Cote du Rhone.

• 2006 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Very pretty with a ripe, floral and mineral scented bouquet. The palate is medium bodied with nice acidity and cut. (88 pts.)
• 2005 Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Slightly reticent, this opens up in the glass and shows honeysuckle, peach and pear aromas. Medium bodied with clean fruit and a nice finish. (88 pts.)
• 2006 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This shows much more depth than the previous wines and has a restrained, beautiful nose of honeyed fruit, minerals and floral aromas. The palate is stunning with a rich, creamy yet precise texture, impressive depth, nice acidity and a long clean finish. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Tablas Creek Roussanne - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Possessing a medium intensity nose, this shows nice richness to the fruit with subtle cream notes showing up with air. Medium bodied, low acidity and with a lush texture, this has a medium to long finish. (88 pts.)
• 2005 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Really impressive, this is a dead ringer for a high class Cote du Rhone and shows dark fruit, black cherry, earth, spice and mineral notes. While it’s medium bodied, there’s nice density to the fruit and a great texture that leads into a medium length finish. (89 pts.)
• 2005 Tablas Creek Mourvedre - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Dark and earthy, this boasts a slight sauvage and animal note to go along with a medium to full bodied, tannic palate. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Similar to the Cote du Tablas, this is a dead ringer for a classy Chateauneuf and shows stunning aromatics. Earth, leather, game and garrigue notes are supported by pure raspberry and blackberry fruit aromas. Medium bodied with ripe fruit, impressive structure and a tannic, long finish. (93 pts.)
• 2005 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Showing more precision and poise than the 2004, this has bright, clean fruit aromas supported by spice, licorice and subtle leather notes. The palate is really impressive on this wine and is medium to full bodied, structured, balanced and with killer mid-palate depth; this has a long, fruit filled finish. (94 pts.)
• 2004 Tablas Creek Syrah - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A nice Syrah that dark fruit, spice and roasted herb notes but also a slightly medicinal note. Dark and dense, this had ripe, lush fruit and a long finish. (88 pts.)

Adelaida

A bevy of excellent wines are produced here.

• 2005 Adelaida Viognier Glenrose Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  403 Cases produced. 14.6% Alcohol. An impressive white that has a big, floral and tropical scent bouquet that pulls everything together with beautiful minerality. Full bodied with nice acidity, a full, thick texture and lush fruit. (89 pts.)
• 2005 Adelaida Pinot Noir SLO - USA, California, Central Coast, San Luis Obispo County
  This has a really interesting and borderline old school nose of dusty cherry fruit, earth, subtle game and spice notes. Medium bodied with rich fruit and a full texture; this is smooth, balanced and easy drinking. (89 pts.)
• 2005 Adelaida Grenache Glenrose Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A beautiful rich and easy drinking wine, this has big aromatics of cherry and strawberry fruit mixed with spice aromas. It’s medium to full bodied on the palate with ripe fruit, nice texture and medium length finish. Slightly on the simple side. (89 pts.)
• 2006 Adelaida Rhone White Paso Robles - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A blend of 74% grenache blanc and 26% Roussane, there were 416 cases produced. Citrus and lemony fruit notes show up on the bouquet and with air it picks up more toasted nut and honey notes. It’s medium bodied with sweet fruit, nice acidity, impressive balance and a long finish. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Adelaida Rhone-style - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A great blend of 34% Mourved, 24% Syrah and 18% grenache, this interesting red shows clean bright fruit (cherries and raspberries) backed up by nice mineral, leather and gamey notes. The palate is medium to full bodied with nice density and underlying structure, sweet fruit and a smooth texture. (91 pts.)
• 2005 Adelaida Rhone-style - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  One of the few cases where I preferred that 2004, this is still absolutely delicious with bright, clean red fruits, wild strawberry, spice and earth notes. Medium bodied and well balanced, this has a silky texture and a long finish. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Showing primarily red fruits, this has nice floral aromas mixed with spice, herbs and subtle graphite notes. Medium bodied and lacking a little concentration, this has a smooth texture and ripe tannins. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This shows plenty of red fruits and spice notes on the nose and with air, subtle graphite and a slight herbaceous note show up. Medium bodied with nice texture and ripe fruit, this is obviously well made and has a long finish. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Adelaida Syrah Reserve Chelle Mountain Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This shows nice complexity with spice, tar, earth and white chocolate aromas sitting on top of rich fruit. Medium bodied with outstanding texture and a solid mid-palate; this has ripe, subtle tannins on the long finish. (91 pts.)
• 2005 Adelaida Zinfandel - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Bright and high-toned, this has nice fruit but seems overtly herbaceous. The nose shows spice, pepper and lots of celery seed notes that obscure a good portion of the fruit. Medium bodied with more herb aromas on the palate. (81 pts.)
• 2005 Adelaida Zinfandel Reserve - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Similar the the standard cuvee but only better, this shows bright fruit, celery seed, white pepper and briary, herbaceous notes. Better in the mouth than on the nose, this has nice fruit. (84 pts.)

Denner

Another set of exciting, well made wines, this winery has a massive amount of acreage under vine and a top notch tasting facility and winery. I had previously had a bottle of the 2005 Ditch Digger and absolutely loved it but the bottle tasted at the estate shows a slightly herbal streak that I didn’t notice in the previous one.

• 2006 Denner Theresa - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Showing rich tropical fruit notes along with crisp acids and a nice mineral note, this is clean, medium bodied and well balanced.
• 2005 Denner “The Ditch Digger” - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Just packed with raspberry fruit, paine grille and spice notes, this has a subtle herb and olive underpinning. With air, tar, licorice and earth notes show up and while this is a big wine, its restrained and smooth. Medium to full bodied with great texture, nice precision and a long finish. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Denner Syrah - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Another outstanding Syrah from the region, this big, exuberant wine shows dark fruit, cranberry, massive spice and tar notes. With air, subtle vanilla and toasted bread aromas show up. It’s beautifully textured in the mouth with nice precision, impeccable balance, medium to full body and a long finish. (93 pts.)

Linne Calodo

After being treated so well at other places, the rude and arrogant behavior from this place makes places like Villa Creek, Herman Story and Core stand out all the more for their hospitality and lack of ego. These notes are from close to ½ ounce pours (with a 10 dollar tasting fee of course) so please take them with a grain of salt. These wines share a common, perfumed, complex and spice oriented bouquet to go along with rich, well balanced palates.

• 2006 Linne Calodo Problem Child - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A blend of 77% Zinfandel, 12% Syrah and 11% Mourvedre, this boast a killer nose of raspberries, spice, white pepper and vanilla aromas to go along with a medium to full bodied, textured palate. Very pure, clear and long. (93 pts.)
• 2006 Linne Calodo Leona’s - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  An interesting blend of 74% Zinfandel, 12% Mourvedre, 8% Alicante and 6% Syrah that shows beautiful dark fruit, sweet raspberry and freshly cracked black pepper notes on the nose. Medium to full bodied with clean, pure fruit, nice balance and a long finish. The Zinfandel vines were planted in 1973 and are dry-farmed, head-pruned and interplanted with Alicante. (92 pts.)
• 2006 Linne Calodo Sticks and Stones - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  65% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre and 11% Syrah. A stunning wine that shows dark fruit, black cherry and wild strawberry notes intermixed with licorice, spice and white pepper aromas. The palate is beautifully balanced with sweet fruit, nice precision and a long finish. (93 pts.)
• 2005 Linne Calodo “Martyr” - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Almost all Mourvedre, this also has 29% Syrah and 3% Grenache. The nose is very spice driven with pepper, earth, raspberry and meaty notes all showing up. Medium to full bodied, this shows sweet fruit, noticeable structure, nice balance and a long finish. (93 pts.)

Turley

A great visit, the image of these old gnarly head pruned vines is not to be missed. These wines are all big, exuberant and the term “port like” would get any disagreement out of me. Having said that, they hide their alcohol well, are incredibly texture and possess interesting and complex aromatics.

• 2005 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines - USA, California
  Just jam packed with kirsh, spice and vanilla aromas, this is a sexy, straightforward, hedonistic dream. The palate is lush with sweet fruit, outstanding texture and a long, delicious finish. (92 pts.)
• 2004 Turley Zinfandel Pesenti Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  My least favorite of the line up and the only wine to seem slightly hot, this has a spice driven bouquet with raspberry, earth and licorice notes playing second fiddle. Full bodied with a rich, full texture, this has a long, ripe finish. (88 pts.)
• 2005 Turley Zinfandel Dusi Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This has a big, aromatic and sweet nose of briary, cherry fruit, sage, spice and ripe herbs. Full bodied and with a thick texture, this has sweet fruit and a long finish. (92 pts.)
• 2005 Turley Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A beautiful Zin with lush dark fruit, cherry, earth , pepper, vanilla and spice aromas on the fairly restrained and balanced nose. The palate is outstanding with very rich fruit, impressive balance and fine grained tannins on the long finish. (94 pts.)

Grey Wolf

Located right off of highway 46, this is a small, family run business run by the Barton Family with the wines currently being made by Joseph Barton, a fruit Science Graduate from Cal Poly. All of these wines share a common stylistic profile and show rich, concentrated fruit backed up by a fair amount of coffee and espresso laced oak aromas.

• N.V. Grey Wolf Lone Wolf Red - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This is a herbaceous, wine with black fruit, earth, olive and herb notes. (80 pts.)
• 2005 Grey Wolf Soulmate - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  An excellent wine that displays blackberry, coffee and earth aromas wrapped around a rich, balanced, medium bodied core of fruit. (90 pts.)
• 2004 Grey Wolf Meritage Lineage - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  This shows rich blackberry, earth and graphite aromas and with air, smoke and chocolate notes emerge. Medium bodied with rich fruit, nice structure and a long finish. (90 pts.)
• 2005 Grey Wolf Zinfandel Barton Family Reserve - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Possessing a rich, deep nose of cinnamon, spice, nutmeg and cherry liquor, this has a great palate that shows nice depth and subtle tannins on the enjoyable finish. (89 pts.)
• 2004 Grey Wolf Cabernet Sauvignon Barton Family Reserve - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Very dark and smoky with cassis, blackberry and coffee aromas leading into a full bodied, chocolaty palate. While this lacks structure in the mid-palate, it has rich, delicious fruit and a medium length, tannic finish. (88 pts.)
• 2004 Grey Wolf Petit Verdot Barton Family Reserve - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  Build around dark, briary fruit, this picks up tar and chocolate aromas with air. The palate shows decent fruit but is too tannic. (85? pts.)
• 2005 Grey Wolf Syrah Predator - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
  A dark, rich wine with smoke, earth, vanilla and coffee aromas, medium to full body and a long, tannic finish. (89 pts.)