2012 Torrin Tsundere, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

An unusual blend of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Tannat, 13% Grenache and 3% Syrah from Paso Robles. Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright. The nose has black raspberries, cassis, char, black cherries and spice. Full bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, this is deep. A bit chunky with cassis, black raspberries and black cherries with underlying char. Good acidity. Long finish. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years. Delicious on its own, this would be a great wine with a steak. It will need big food.

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Vintage:

2012

Current Price:

$77.00USD

Top 50 California Cabernet Sauvignons to Try Before You Quit Drinking (a non-dump bucket list if you will!)

In putting together a list of the top California Cabernets, there is sure to be some disagreement. I tried to include those wines that have a track record, the wineries still making great wines, those that seemed to have the commitment for the future and some personal favorites. I am sure I left some out. 1. Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select – It’s always hard to name the number one wine. But this has a track record that’s very long. Even in less than stellar vintages, it is an outstanding wine. They just don’t seem to make a dud. My only complaint is the price at over $200 a bottle. But, in comparison to other Napa Cabs or elsewhere in the world, this is a fair price.

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2013 Torrin Tsundere, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek District, Wine Review

Vintage:

2013

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Current Price:

$70.00USD

Torrin makes some of the best Rhone styled wines anywhere. This is 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Tannat, so not completely a Rhone styled wine. Close enough. There wines are big and generally need at least five years to start to be approachable for my tastes. This one is just getting there. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, plums, slight black cherries, blueberries, slight dust and spice. It's great. On the palate, this is big and wide. Great texture. Loads of black raspberry fruit with some blueberries and a bit of black cherries. It's d

2021 Halter Ranch El Pecado, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida District, Wine Review

Vintage:

2021

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Current Price:

$60.00USD

From a 500ml size bottle. The name translates to "The Sin". This is a dessert wine from Paso Robles that is made from 78% Tannat and 22% Grenache grapes. The grapes are air dried on wooden racks and then go thru a fermentation. During that process the wine is infused with hand roasted coffee beans and cocoa nibs. It is a really enjoyable wine, but let's talk about the wine. First, the drying process is supposed to increase sugar levels by 40%. It is unclear how ripe the grapes were at harvest. The wine is listed at 15% abv, which seems very high for a dessert wine that is not fortif

2018 Patrimony Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida District, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

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Current Price:

$295.00USD

This is an interesting wine. It is made by the two brothers who own Daou Vineyards from their very best vines in the mountains west of the 101 Freeway and retails for a very high price. It is their intention with this wine to show that Paso Robles is also capable of producing world class Cabernet Sauvignon. It is certainly the highest priced wine from Paso Robles that I have heard of. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is interesting and unique. Cassis, coffee, iodine, sandalwood, and chicory. Full bodied but not overblown. As one would expect from mountain fruit, th

Heidi Peterson Barrett: Napa's Wine Diva on Winemaking, La Sirena, and the Legacy of Screaming Eagle

Heidi Peterson Barrett As arguably the most celebrated, respected, envied, and in-demand winemaker in America today, Heidi Peterson Barrett is one of only a handful of winemakers who can legitimately lay claim to "superstar" status. Her wines at both Dalle Valle and Screaming Eagle resulted in multiple 100 point scores from Robert Parker (Parker himself dubbed her the "First Lady of Wine") and helped redefine both the meaning and value of "cult" wines. She rocked the wine world at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction as a 6-liter bottle of her 1992 Screaming Eagle sold for $500,000, in the process setting a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine (a vertical offering went for $650,000 at the 2001 Napa Valley Wine Auction). Heidi Peterson Barrett is currently winemaker for Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Revana, Barbour, Lamborn, Fantesca, as well as her own label La Sirena . I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Heidi to talk about winemaking, her own La Sirena label, and the legacy of Screaming Eagle.

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2012 Torrin Tsundere, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

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2018 Patrimony Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Paso Robles, Adelaida District, Wine Review

Heidi Peterson Barrett: Napa's Wine Diva on Winemaking, La Sirena, and the Legacy of Screaming Eagle