Paso Robles

• Willow Creek

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

Inky purple, opaque and bright.  The nose is warm with black raspberries, roasted meats and black pepper.  Great texture.  On the palate, black raspberries with underlying char.  Still showing very young at age 10.  This is delicious on its own.  It will need bigger foods with some spice.  Drink over the next twenty years.  

This has shed its baby fat and is drinking very well.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, spice, white pepper, slightly grilled meats and leather. Great texture. Big but with finesse. No sign of heat. Lots black and red fruits on the palate. Depth. Manageable tannins. Long finish. This is delicious.  Drinking youthfully but no harm in opening now.  This is great on its own but will work well with roasted meats or veggies.  Indian food will work well too.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  

This is another great value from Paso Robles.  A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Petite Sirah, 2% Syrah and 2% Malbec, this is tasty and a nice value.  Sure to be a crowd pleaser.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty, gravelly with black raspberries and slight black cherries.  Medium tannins.  Some complexity.  Lots of big fruit on the palate - black raspberries and black currants.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next three to six years.  Nice on its own, it will work well with pizza, (veggie)burgers or ribs.  

The Daou brothers have really added to the wine reputation in Paso Robles.  The make mostly Bordeaux varietals at all price points.  This is there inexpensive Chardonnay and it is an excellent value.  Silvery/green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has yellow grapefruits and smoke.  A nice oily texture.  On the palate, lemons, quince and smoke.  Nice acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks easy and is sure to be a crowd pleaser at parties.  Drink over the next couple years.  Nice on its own, it will work well with lighter foods or seafood.