Highlands Forty One

Estate Reserve Darkness Paso Robles Red Blend

8.84 ratings
8.41 pro ratings
Paso Robles, Central Coast, California, USA
Red Blend
Game, Baking Spices, Duck, Goose, Potato, Chili & Hot Spicy, White Rice, Exotic Spices, Pasta, Herbs, Beans & Peas, Onion, Chicken, Pork, Venison, Salami & Prosciutto, Pungent Cheese, Soft Cheese, Mushrooms, Tomato-Based, Turkey, Veal, Hard Cheese
Top Notes For
Ron Peebles

Best in a long time

Best in a long time

May 25th, 2020
Lisa F
9.0

My first thought: this wine is flat. That may sound like a bad thing, but it is not. I am finding my first impressions of wine, thus far, are smooth, flat, grip, buttery (the Chards), sharp, minerally (Pinot Grigio), peppery (which I think is my interpretation of tannins). I am still learning what makes my tongue tell my brain these textures, however. Texture is a good word here. This wine almost lacks a texture. Henceforth, flat. It has wonderful flavors, but this wine does not grip the tongue like some others. Therefore, I like to wash spicy food down with this wine. Because it doesn’t coat my tongue the way a wine with grip does...or even the way a smooth wine may. My husband does not like alcohol. He said this wine was smooth. The bottle says vanilla flavors. Vanilla in scents and flavors = a bit of calm (at least for me). A homy kind of calm. This wine is calm—flat, but it is not homy. Too much flavor for that. I am fascinated by the contradictions in this wine. 🧐. I could accidentally drink the whole bottle in one setting because it is so calm yet full of flavor.

My first thought: this wine is flat. That may sound like a bad thing, but it is not. I am finding my first impressions of wine, thus far, are smooth, flat, grip, buttery (the Chards), sharp, minerally (Pinot Grigio), peppery (which I think is my interpretation of tannins). I am still learning what makes my tongue tell my brain these textures, however. Texture is a good word here. This wine almost lacks a texture. Henceforth, flat. It has wonderful flavors, but this wine does not grip the tongue like some others. Therefore, I like to wash spicy food down with this wine. Because it doesn’t coat my tongue the way a wine with grip does...or even the way a smooth wine may. My husband does not like alcohol. He said this wine was smooth. The bottle says vanilla flavors. Vanilla in scents and flavors = a bit of calm (at least for me). A homy kind of calm. This wine is calm—flat, but it is not homy. Too much flavor for that. I am fascinated by the contradictions in this wine. 🧐. I could accidentally drink the whole bottle in one setting because it is so calm yet full of flavor.

Feb 17th, 2019
NFL Wine Guy

NFL had this 5 years ago

NFL had this 5 years ago

May 15th, 2019