Law Estate Wines
We first tasted the wines from Law Estate at the Ojai Wine Festival last Summer and were immediately blown away by their quality. We knew we had to visit them on our next trip to Paso Robles.
Although the tasting room is not yet open, we had the opportunity to visit the property, which is in the hills up on Peachy Canyon Road west of Paso Robles, and meet with General Manager Oliver Esparham.
Founded by Don and Susie Law, geologists from Colorado, they sought out property to meet their exacting specifications. The state of the art winery, created with the guidance of acclaimed winemaker Scott Hawley, is designed to produce wines that are great when they hit the bottle but will continue to improve as they age. From estate vineyards planted in 2008, grapes are hand picked and sorted, and vineyard blocks are fermented individually in specially designed concrete fermenters.
Currently, Law produces four wines, and we tasted all of them that day, all from the 2010 vintage:
Audacious
44% Grenache, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah
Beguiling
94% Grenache, 6% Syrah
Sagacious
44% Grenache, 42% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre
Intrepid
100% Syrah
All of the wines were outstanding — very fruit driven, but not overpowering. The alcohol content for all wines just over 16%, but there was no discernible heat that often comes when the alcohol is high. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Sagacious, which reminded me, for all the right reasons, of a very high quality Australian GSM.
All four of the current releases are priced at $62 per bottles. Everything is from Estate fruit, and very low production. Right now, only reds are being produced but whites are on the horizon. A rosé is also planned, but will probably only be available by the glass at the tasting room.
Law is clearly targeting the serious wine drinker. Tasting room visits will be by appointment only, and will be one-on-one with winery representatives. Food pairings will be part of the experience.
This winery is already starting out with great wine, and I expect even greater things down the road. This is one winery that you should watch – get on their mailing list, you won’t be sorry. And, here’s a tip – don’t wait. The August 2013 issue of the Wine Advocate gave the wines all scores in the 90s. Don’t let this be one of those wineries that you wish you had signed up for before the list filled up.
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. (2013 Update: Eve and Michael announced Eve Wine 101 Consulting. Info is here: http://evewine101.com/press-releases/) Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com.