Paso Robles

• Willow Creek

Mostly Syrah with a bit of Rousanne.  The 2011's from Saxum are in a great place right now.  They drink a bit younger than most of Justin Smith's wines.  Pop and pour, this one was great.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, white pepper and "purple" floral notes.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Big but not blowsy.  Lots of energy.  Good acidity.  Notes of black raspberries over char and spice.  Long finish.  This was great on its own (with a cigar) by the fire but will work well with heavier stews and roasted meats, or even cheeses.  No hurry, t

A blend of 43% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah and 10% Counoise.  This wine is still on the young side but is open and with a bit of air, was drinking great.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, slight charred wood, black pepper, roasted herbs and roasted meats.  On the palate, what a wonderful texture.  Almost seamless.  Juicy black raspberry fruit.  Underlying char and roasted meats.  Great energy and balance.  This will continue to mature for the next five to ten years and be good for ten to fifteen after that.  The alcohol is high, but there is hint of it although

This is a blend of 58% Mourvedre and 42% Grenache.  Purple in color.  Opaque.  The nose has black cherries, plums, cedar, and roasted meats.  On the palate, the Grenache seems to dominate at this point, but with age that should change.  Black cherry fruit intertwined with smoke and slight earthiness.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This seems young but not a ton of tannins.  It will be interesting to watch this age.  It should go well with spicy Asian cuisine of stews and chili.  Drinking well now, I don't think it gets better but should morph over the next decade or more.  

This is a very nice value for those looking for a reasonably priced California Cabernet.  It is from Paso Robles, an area generally not known for its Cabs.  Dark ruby in color.  The nose has cherries and slight kirsch notes along with some baking spice and a bit of vanilla.  On the palate, this is medium bodied with good acidity.  Cherries with some oak.  Medium finish.  This will improve over the next couple of years as it integrates and should be good for five to seven after that.  A nice with with grilled burgers.  

72% Zinfandel with 20% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre.  This is a brawny wine that is delicious.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, black pepper, slight bramble and baking spice.  On the palate, this has a wonderful texture.  Juicy black cherries over a bit of char with slight woody notes.  There is a nice depth to this wine.  It should continue to develop complexity over the next few years.  It should last another decade.  Whether it improves or not depends on how mature you like your Zins.  This is great on its own and should work great with grilled meats or spicy hot foods.  

This is a blend of 54% Syrah, 21% Mourvèdre, 16% Grenache and 9% Petite Sirah.  It is a big wine that really needed some time to settle down.  Even 6 years from vintage isn't really enough.  That said, with a couple hours of air, this was drinking beautifully.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, black cherries, and spice.  Perhaps a bit of black pepper.  On the palate, this is thick and big.  A bit chunky on opening but it smoothed out with air.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with some black cherries.  An underlying charred earthiness.  Good finish.  T

Usually, I like to let Saxum's age more, but this one is 45% Zinfandel, so we popped the cork.  Good move.  Also it has 36% Mourvedre, 12% Tempranillo and 7% Petite Sirah.  Weighs in at just under 16% ABV.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is big with black cherries, plums, black raspberries, some earthiness and spice.  On the palate, there is no heat.  Juicy black cherries, and black raspberries.  Some underlying char.  Long finish.  This is delicious but will be a tough food match.  Maybe some BBQ with spicy sauce?  It will be interesting to see how this ages.  I suspect the Zin fades and

The 2011 Saxums are drinking beautifully right now.  It was a difficult vintage but Justin Smith and Saxum excelled.  The wines are a bit more ready than most vintages, but that's fine.  Pop and pour. 51% Grenache and 49% Syrah.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, dark chocolate, black pepper and roasted herbs.  With air more chocolate comes out along with a bit or roasted meats.  On the palate, this has a lovely juicy yet muscular texture.  Lots of black raspberry fruit, some char and a bit of earthiness and black pepper.  Nice finish.  This is a big wine and will need

Grenache Blanc doesn't get enough respect.  That may be because in Europe, it doesn't do as well and is used as a blending grape, seldom on its own.  In California, however, there are many examples of Grenache Blanc being bottled independently and some of those are quite good.  This is one of them.  Tablas Creek specializes in Rhone varietals and while this wine is not sold en masse, it is available at the winery.  Light golden in color.  The nose has nice pear notes with some anise and slight salinity.  On the palate, the pears continue along with some honeydew notes and underlying chalkin

This bottle saw about 6 hours of air prior to be served.  That helped but it was not enough.  Torrin wines are fantastic but they do take time.  They are tight and tannic and concentrated on release and proper cellaring is rewarded.  Absent that a long decant is advised.  This wine is 40% Syrah, 33% Mourvedre, and 27% Grenache.