Perlis Picks: Make Your Own Paso [Part 5, LAW Estate]

Law Estate Wines

Law WineryI’ve written a few times about the great wines that relative Paso newcomer Law Estate Wines put out from the “get go”.

From their inaugural 2010 vintage, which my wife Karen and I loved, to their outstanding across the board 2011 releases, I don’t think I had ever tasted such an outstanding group of wines. I was looking forward to the 2012s, wondering if it would be possible to surpass the quality of the 2011s.

I have now tasted the 2012s. Can I honestly say that these are better than the 2011s? Hard to do. Once you are at the level of greatness of these wines made by star winemaker Scott Hawley and his crew, and now having tasted both years, I don’t really know how to compare them. But, I can definitely say that once again these wines are outstanding across the board.

As with many limited production premium wineries these days, Law has an allocation system which allows existing customers to first pick up the latest releases. They also, as is common, have a pick-up party for their customers to taste all the wines, enjoy some delicious bites and mingle with fellow like-minded wine lovers as well as the information and friendly Law staff. [Big kudos to GM Oliver Esperham and everyone at Law for pulling this off twice that day.] A unique thing about the allocation system at Law is that, if you are attending the party, you can wait until you have tasted everything. This is actually a really great system. Truthfully, you know you are going to want everything, but getting a chance to taste them all in advance is a great way to balance things out to your liking.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a party without, and this is what we had to go with our wine:

Cattaneo Bros. linguica wrapped in a tortilla

Toasted sourdough bread with sweet dipping sauce

Assorted Sausage Platter

Butter leaf and little gem lettuce, shaved red onions, Humboldt Fog goat cheese, spiced walnuts, mutsu apples, shallot vinaigrette.

Tri-tip sliders

Bacon-wrapped and stuffed peppers and dates

Italian-style meatballs with marinara sauce

Grilled local vegetables

 

Five wines were being poured that day [all from the 2012 vintage]:

Audacious – 45% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Grenache

Intrepid – 95% Syrah, 5% Grenache

Sagacious – 39% Mourvedre, 35% Syrah, 26% Grenache

Beyond Category – 44% Syrah, 19% Grenache, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Mourvedre, 9% Petite Sirah

The Nines – 100% Grenache

What can I say about the Law wines that hasn’t already been said by me and many others? Once again, outstanding across the board. For the first time, I tasted The Nines and loves the ripe red Grenache. Last year, difficult as it was to pick a favorite, I went with the Intrepid. The 2011 was 100% Syrah, the 2012 had a touch of Grenache, it both cases this was Syrah made as I like it – big, bold and full of flavor. I would have gone with the Intrepid this year…

Until I tasted the Beyond Category. Wow. To me this wine made me think old school Paso power with new school Paso elegance. Truly the best of both worlds and an outstanding wine. A shining example of what can come from Paso Robles. And a great way for me to wrap up this series.

Law Estate Wines, 3885 Peachy Canyon Drive, Paso Robles, CA, 93446

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com