John And Jen Leonard

7.8

The other wine with Sunday steak yesterday Tasted first Floral notes in the aroma but also what we called floral were maybe more dried herbs and dried leaves ? Smell of fall but with many fall flowers the first notes that join the fruit ? Maybe a whiff of smoke though that may be imaginary Fruit notes present but secondary I think flower or notes usually hit us first Flavor surprised tangy was our first thought plenty of fruit in it but also vegetal notes I’m not used to these nor do I describe well it’s not like someone’s roasted red pepper marinara sauce but tangy for sure on the palette if music higher notes not quite soprano or tenor but not the deeper fruit notes often found from cab Dried fruit not fresh, apricots not Berrys form the sweet base colored by sundried tomatoes roasted red bell peppers and some mild and vaguely vegetal notes sort of umami-ish, say a caper or 2 tossed in - that would provide a hint of salt that helped provide the structure Not particularly tannic, with a sharper overall flavor and a middle weight to it, not thin but not throat grabbing power. If you grilled your steak with a wood chip or 2, if you put stronger flavored seasoning on it or steak sauce this matches the character of those flavors more closely than the robt hall also reviewed today I wouldn’t call it “barbecue wine” because that would exaggerate the the tangy character but I would call it good “grill” wine — 10 months ago

John And Jen Leonard

9.3

I like Paso Robles more than some other micros that’s my baseline. Consumed with a Sunday steak dinner. Tasted first. Surprisingly ready 2020: aroma more tobacconist or saddlery rather than orchard. smooth not tannic, but with underlying structure. Fruit flavors and notes are deeper underneath, plums, currants, Maybe dried cherries ? Fully ripened fruit neither just-picked floral nor over ripe sweet. Fruit was not forward, rather the base for notes my wife and I were scrambling to put “wine critic” descriptions to: pencil shavings minerals tobacco graphite maybe a touch of white pepper ? No vegetal notes at all. A pretty substantial wine; weight to it with mouth coating glycerine viscosity but no tannic pucker We sensed it more front of mouth and absolutely in the back of mouth and throat going down “Masculine wine” said my wife who “really liked” vs my “loved” Great steak wine that matches perfectly a minimalist prep of the meat solid flavor galore, but not tons of conflicting and competing notes The grape speaks as sometimes should the steak Bought on special I hope to get more ! — 10 months ago