Paso Robles

• Willow Creek

This is a winery club only wine.  Containing 100% Cabernet Sauvignon it, comes in at 16.1% abv.  The wine spends 17 months in two-thirds new oak.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has sweet cassis, black cherries, cigar box and baking spice.  With air some dark chocolate emerges.  This s full bodied with ripe fruit.  Silky tannins.  Lots of energy.  Flavors of cassis and black cherry of a slight char and tobacco.  Good finish.  This is delicious right now but should calm down a bit with cellaring.  It depends on how you like your Cabs.  Right now this drinks great on its own. 

This is the flagship wine from Justin.  It is a Bordeaux styled blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 7% Merlot.  it sees 100% new French oak.  This is a very nice wine that is pretty unique given the number of similarly proportioned wines in France, Napa and the rest of the world.  It has a deeper ruby color with some purple swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black currants, some black cherries with a bit of baking spice and slight dark chocolate notes.  On the palate, this has a nice juicy, chewy texture.  Lots of black cherry fruit and spice.  Though plenty

This is a "right bank" Bordeaux blend from Paso Robles.  It is 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot and sees 44% new French oak for 20 months..  Ruby/purple in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, dusty, baking spices, slight tobacco and cedar.  On the palate, this has thick tannins at this stage.  Lots of cherries, red currants, spice and slight earthiness.  It is very tight right now but opened up nicely on day 2.  If drinking now, give it a good decant.  This should improve a bit over the next few years and be good for seven to ten years after that.  It has

This is drinking very well these days.  It is a blend of 82% Syrah and 18% Mourvèdre.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meats, slight violets and a bit of earthiness.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a lush structure.  Juicy black raspberry fruit over a bit of smoke and earth.  Nice energy.  Long finish.  This may still improve a bit.  It will make great drinking over the next ten to twelve years.  A nice match for ribs on the grill or roasted veggies.  

During this period of "Stay Home", it helps to every once in a while open something really good.  Even during the middle of the week (to the extent I can keep track of what day it is).  The 2011 Saxum's are drinking beautifully.  That vintage seems to be maturing a bit faster than most.  This is a blend of 58% Syran, 27% Grenache and 5% Mourvedre.  inky purple in color with a thin magenta line at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, roasted meats, dried floral notes and slight chocolate.  On the palate, this has a lovely texture.  Rich but not overblown.  Smoo

Another great wine from Denner.  It is a blend of 55% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Counoise, 5% Cinsault and 5% Tannat.

Tablas Creek has some great levels of wine clubs which offer up wines not available outside the winery or in different formats.  This one is easily available although this particular bottle was from a 375ml bottle ($25).  It is a blend of 49% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 21% Syrah, and 5% Counoise.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  A lovely nose of black raspberries, raspberries, spice and anise.  On the palate, this has firm tannins but the fruit is open and drinking well.  Juicy black raspberries, raspberries, over a clean dry earthiness with just a touch of char.  This is a big wine but no

This is blend of 46% Mourvedre, 31% Syrah, 18% Grenache, and 5% Counoise grapes.  Tasted from a 375ml bottle.  In a full bottle, these will age wonderfully.  In this format, they should still age well, but this was a great chance to check in on the wine.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has plums, black raspberries, black cherries, spice and char.  On the palate, this has a lovely texture.  Energetic.  Medium tannins.  Right now, the black cherries dominate but that will change as it ages.  Delicious.  Good finish.  This should be versatile with food and go well with fowl or meat dishes and r

This is a blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan, and Clairette Blanche.  From a 375ml size bottle which is a great format for early drinking or when one wants just another glass or two.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with pears, spice, slight wax, and slight honey.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  The pears come thru along with the baking spices.  Good balance.  Light tannins.  Long finish.  White Rhone varietals can be tricky to age, but this seems like it should be good for five to seven and probably more.  It will work well with sea

I have been beating the drum for Torrin wines for a while now. They do take a long time to open up, but this one seems a bit more open than most. Of course, we are now seven years from vintage. This is delicious. It is a blend of 76% Syrah and 24% Grenache. The label lists 16%ABV and although it is not noticeable on the palate, one does feel it. Inky purple in color. The nose is concentrated with black raspberries, iodine, roasted meats, char and spice. On the palate, this is full bodied with a lush texture. It is much wider on the palate. Lush black raspberries over char and spice.