Red Wines

wines

Translucent ruby, the 2019 Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard, from the warmer, sandy Los Alamos region, was mostly destemmed (15% stems) and spent 18 months in 15% new barrels. A wonderful perfume of mulled cherries, baking spices, dried herbs, flowers, and forest floor gives way to a medium-bodied, ethereally styled, balanced, graceful Pinot Noir with light tannins and a great finish. It’s all about finesse and elegance, and it’s a beautiful, seamless Pinot Noir.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDQuite light in the glass, this bottling by Gavin Chanin offers aromas of pomegranate, red currant, hibiscus and white pepper on a nose that bounces from bright to juicy. The palate is a tad richer and more rounded, offering cherry and strawberry as well as underlying sagebrush flavors.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2019 Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard is laced with the essence of crushed red berry fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and mint. Readers will find an airy, gracious Pinot built on a whole range of floral and savory accents. The 15% whole clusters are expertly judged. Silky and beautifully perfumed, the Los Alamos Pinot is pure seduction.Antonio Galloni | 92 AG

The 2019 Grenache 2 2 Tango is terrific. A blend of 76% Grenache, 15% Graciano, and the rest Syrah, sourced from multiple sites throughout the Central Coast (mostly Ballard Canyon), it has a cool, lively, incredibly elegant style to go with textbook Grenache notes of red and blue fruits, ground pepper, and herbes de Provence. It has fabulous purity of fruit, and I’m a fan. Drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe 2019 Grenache 2 2 Tango is a blend of Grenache, Graciano and Syrah. Boisterous and racy in the glass, the 2019 has a lot going on. Bright red berry/plum fruit, licorice and spice all open in the glass. This is an exuberant style, but the tannins are pretty fierce. Give it a year to soften.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon continues to show brilliantly. (I rated it 97-100 from barrel last year.) It has a quintessential Cabernet nose of pure crème de cassis, crushed stone, lead pencil, graphite, and tobacco that gains depth and richness with time in the glass. Deep, full-bodied, rich, and incredibly textured, yet still fresh, light on its feet, and beautifully balanced, this gorgeous Cabernet shows what’s possible with the variety from Paso Robles.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDThe 2019 Patrimony Cabernet Sauvignon was made with free-run juice and matured for 30 months in 100% new French oak. It has a deep ruby color and alluring tones of truffle, brown sugar and coffee to begin, opening with time to very pure cassis, boysenberry, tobacco, garrigue and aniseed. The palate is supple and fresh with surprisingly restrained, mineral-laced fruits and a fan of spicy accents across the long finish. This ultra sleek, elegant Cabernet evolves continually in the glass and has the harmonious structure it needs to go the distance in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPOpaque in color, the wine opens with intense yet elegant aromas of cassis, toasted espresso and roasted walnut paste. Polished tannins frame the rich sip, loaded with scorched earth, dark cassis and purple-flower flavors, proving very dry yet luxurious, with a lingering finish.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEDeep, rich and plush on the nose showing cassis, blackberries with hints of dark olives, fennel, dark chocolate, cigar box and elderberry characters. Full-bodied and fleshy on the palate with an abundance of tannins, which are extremely fine-grained. Restrainedly opulent, deep, structured and long. Still a hint of white sesame character from the barrels, but will integrate in a year or two. Drinkable but better after 2025.James Suckling | 95 JSInky garnet. Expansive, smoke-tinged dark fruit preserves, oak spices and vanilla on the nose. In a plush, broad style, offering sweet black currant, cherry liqueur, mocha and vanilla flavors and a spicy touch of cracked pepper. Smooth, well-knit tannins add shape to a long, smoky finish that leaves cherry pie and candied licorice notes behind. All new French oak.Vinous Media | 94 VM