PASO ROBLES | CALIFORNIA | $45
Deep blackberry fruit with black cherry and plum, plus notes of leather, tobacco, allspice and licorice. Medium bodied, slightly gamey, nicely complex and well integrated leaving little separation between fruit and savory flavors. Luxurious satin mouthfeel with some weight and a pleasantly restrained (by Paso Robles standards) 14.5% alcohol. This bloke has pedigree and the good character to earn his due rather than to expect it. Well deserving of its number-50 ranking on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2009. An excellent wine. (Reviewed 9/29/12)
Does anyone in SoCal do a decent sparkling?…that’s not too expensive? 🙂
Flying Goat Cellars in Santa Barbara County offers a few sparkling wines at $34. I recommend them. Laetitia in San Luis Obispo County has some ranging from $22-$35. These have not interested me in recent years, and I have not tasted them recently.