Last week, I shared with you about the seminar provided for trade and media to kick off the Paso Robles Wine Country Grand Tasting Tour held at the Newport Beach Marriott.
This week, I’ll tell you our favorites of the wines we tasted at the Grant Tasting…
Alta Colina Vineyard
2016 Grenache Blanc [95% Grenache Blanc, 5% Roussanne]
2013 Old 900 Syrah [97% Syrah, 3% Viognier]
Ancient Peaks Winery
2015 Renegade [55% Syrah, 27% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 5% Petit Verdot]
2013 Oyster Ridge [75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 5% Malbec, 5% Petite Sirah]
Barr Estate Winery
2014 Albarino
2013 Dane Head [51% Malbec, 18% Petite Sirah, 18% Petit Verdot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon]
Calcareous Vineyard
2013 Tres Violet [37% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 28% Mourvedre]
2013 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon [91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc]
Caliza Winery
2016 Pink [Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah]
2013 Sympatico [76% Tempranillo, 24% Grenache]
Cass Winery
2015 Viognier
2015 Mourvedre
2014 Vintage Ted [70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Mourvedre, 3% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot]
Daou Vineyards
2015 Pessimist [37% Syrah, 31% Petite Sirah, 27% Zinfandel, 5% Tannat]
2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon [75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot]
Gray Wolf Cellars & Barton Family Wines
2015 Jackal [100% Zinfandel]
2015 Big Bad [90% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah]
MCV Wines
2016 Pink [Petite Sirah, Syrah, Grenache, Tannat]
2014 1105 [60% Petite Sirah, 21% Syrah, 7% Grenache, 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Tannat, 1% Viognier]
Niner Wine Estates
2014 Malbec [91% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc]
2014 Cabernet Sauvignon [85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 3% Merlot, 2% Carmenere]
ONX Wines
2016 Indie [Rose of Tempranillo]
2016 Indie Noir [Red Blend]
2014 Level 22 [45% Petite Sirah, 33% Syrah, 12% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache]
A few comments…
We didn’t taste at every table. These were are our favorites of the ones we tasted.
We didn’t taste everything at MCV or ONX. We probably would have more of their wines on this list if we had. But, we just reported on our visit to MCV and our article on ONX is coming up soon.
Minor rant…really minor…
We started going to Paso Robles about 20 years ago. At that time, Zinfandel was king. Don’t get me wrong, we love the Rhones coming out of Paso, and Cab is definitely making a name for itself. Wineries like Turley, Tobin James, J Dusi and others still carry on the Zin tradition, but sometimes I think it doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
So, for this reason and also because the wines were totally kick-ass, my wines of the day were the two Gray Wolf & Barton Family Wines Zinfandels – Jackal and Big Bad.
From the Gray Wolf & Barton Family Wines website:
Joe and Shirlene Barton established Grey Wolf Cellars in August 1994. Since then, the Bartons have made their winery a family-run business. Joe Senior had a vision and a dream to create great wine and do so with his family. He put on his wine labels, “A family is a circle of caring, strong and eternal.” He succeeded because he always put 100% into everything he did. Joe Senior left our pack in the Winter of 1998, but his dream and passion lives on through his family and the spirit of Grey Wolf.
I actually met Joe Junior soon after his father had passed, when the tasting room was still on Paso’s east side, at what is now Penman Springs. Joe has done amazing things with the winery and you should definitely pay them a visit.
Paso Robles has certainly made its mark on the world wine stage. I can’t help but feel that the best is yet to come.
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.
