Paso Robles

• Willow Creek

This is a blend of 66% Roussanne, 21% Grenache Blanc, 8% Picpoul Blanc, 3% Picardin and 2% Clairette Blanche.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pears, peaches, some minerality and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, pears and peaches with good acidity.  A roundness of the wine makes it very accessible.  Long finish.  Still youthful, there is plenty of depth and complexity.  White Rhone varietals are notoriously difficult to guess an ageing curve, but this should easily have a decade left.  It worked quite well with a Caprese Salad and also Guacamole.  

This is 95% Syrah and 5% Grenache and drinking beautifully.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, and roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Deep but the layers unwind in the glass.  Probably not quite at peak but getting close.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  This should continue to drink well for another twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would work great with roasted veggies off the grill.  

Probably my favorite Zinfandel from the Turley offerings.  Deep garnet in color, Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has back cherries, black cherries, bramble and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Lots of energy.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Of course young, but drinking well.  Black cherries, cherries, spice and slight char.  Long finish.  This will drink well over the next ten years.  Great on its own, this would be perfect with a burger or ribs on the grill.  

This is a blend of 45% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah and 8% Counoise.  15.7% abv.  Just a beautiful wine, albeit a bit young at age 9.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, plums and char.  Full bodied with a lush, rich texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Loads of black cherries and black raspberries with some pepper and spice.  Light to medium tannins.  Long finish.  This should drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this will work well with meats or veggies off the grill

Friends brought this over.  This winery is one a few that are generating lots of buzz for Cabernet Sauvignon in Paso Robles.  This is fruit forward in style but by no means a simple wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, tobacco, black cherry and spices.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, lush cassis and black cherry fruit.  Depth.  Long finish.  This drinks well now but probably should improve with a few more years of cellaring. Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  This would go great with a roast or a steak.  

Nice to revisit this wine from an excellent vintage.  Still drinking well for those, like me, that enjoy a full throttle Syrah once in a while.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat, and roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has juicy black raspberry fruit with lots of depth.  Good lively acidity.  Long finish.  This is full mature but should continue to drink well for another five to ten years.  It works better on its own but will work with big foods.  Spicy Indian foods are a good match.  

This is a blend of 34% Mourvedre, 33% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 12% Syrah, and 8% Tempranillo.  Purple with a few garnet swirls. The nose is great with plums, black cherries, gravel, leather, black pepper, char and cedar.  Some alcohol showing on the nose.  Full bodied. Some tannins.  Deep.  On the palate, plums, black cherries, black pepper, spice and char.  No alcohol showing on the palate but it does have 15.9% abv.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  It drinks great on its own after about twenty minutes.

This is a blend of 48% Syrah, 21% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Petite Sirah, and 1% Roussane from California's Central Coast.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, grilled meats, plums, roasted herbs, and char.  Full bodied.  High energy.

This is Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles but it does have some Petite Sirah blended in.  Purple in color with magenta hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries and confectionary sugar.  On the palate, this is sweet and syrupy.  Lots of sweet black raspberry fruit with some confectionary sugar notes.  This is a bit too much for what I like but I am sure many will love this wine.  The kind of wine to enjoy with BBQ ribs off the grill on a summer evening.  Drink over the next few years.  If you like this style, then add a few points.  Cheers.  

This is a white blend made from 66% Grenache Blanc, 28% Roussanne, and 6% Chenin Blanc.  Pop and pour, this needed a good hour or more to really open up.  Pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a cream soda note.  With air, it shows wax and lemons.  With even more air, some tropical fruits come out (pineapple and guava?).  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, the experience is similar to the nose; cream soda to waxy lemons to tropical fruits.  A creamy texture.  Some warmth on the finish but this also goes away with air.  This is obviously young and sho