Raynolds Has Spoken!

Josh Raynolds of Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar was back in town and his notes on our 2009 wines are in!  2009 marks our third vintage and the Grenache and Toasted Slope Syrah are already available for purchase.  We will release the GSM around January and the Mourvedre and Old 900 Syrah will be available about March.

 

We are very excited and proud of these wines!  We consistently feel that the quality of our wines improves each year.  Not only are our vines growing up and becoming more established, but we’re better farmers and winemakers.  It will be interesting to see how these wines do with the critics in the coming months but the opinions we care most about are yours of course!

Check out what Mr. Raynolds has to say about our 2009 reds.  And as always, let us know what you think!  Email Maggie or Bob with any thoughts, questions, or comments.

2009 Grenache Paso Robles ($44) (includes 9% syrah): Deep ruby. Powerfully scented bouquet ofplum jam and blackcurrant liqueur, dark chocolate and violet; seems like there's more syrah in here. Inky, palate-coating flavors of ripe dark fruit flavors, with a slow-mounting smoky note. This high-octane wine finishes with velvety tannins and echoes of dark berries, plum and bitter chocolate. 87

[Just to be clear, we always show the true blends on our labels--there is 9% Syrah in this wine.  I guess great color is just something we'll have to learn to live with on Alta Colina Vineyard!]

2009 Mourvedre Paso Robles ($44) (includes 14% syrah and 11% grenache): Inky ruby. Vibrant raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by spice and candied floral nuances. Offers sweet dark berry and bitter cherry flavors enlivened by cracked pepper and violet. The long, chewy finish features finegrained tannins and a late floral kick. This is quite elegant for a New World Rhone blend. 90

2009 Gsm Paso Robles ($38) (53% syrah, 24% mourvedre and 23% grenache): Bright purple. Musky cherry and dark berry aromas are sharply focused, with peppery spices providing additional lift. Bitter cherry and cassis flavors are bracing and pure, with a pungent kick of camphor enlivening the back end. Really showing its syrah component today. This assertively perfumed, juicy style offers very good energy and finishing cut. 90

2009 Toasted Slope Red Wine Paso Robles ($38) (90% syrah and 10% gernache): Opaque purple. Highly perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, cherry, olive and tobacco, with mounting spiciness. Sweet, deep dark fruit and floral pastille flavors coat the palate. Finishes smoky and long, with a lingering olive quality. 90

2009 Old 900 Red Wine Paso Robles ($48) Glass-staining purple. Seductively perfumed bouquet of dark berry preserves, potpourri and black olive, along with a spicy overtone. More graceful than theToasted Slope, showing impressive focus to its spicy blackberry and mulberry flavors. Finishes sweet,sappy and floral. For a rich wine this is quite lithe. 91