Oh it’s big. Let’s just get that part out of the way first off. I mean it’s Paso! Come on–it’s going to be big. Big and staining and concentrated in the nose.  But basically every Napa cab is 14-5 now so who we callin big? And all of the buck-25 Napa cabs I drink are at LEAST this swollen and brooding, so maybe we need to just stop calling Paso big.

The beauty of this wine is where the Merlot and Petit Verdot chunks take over and bring both calmness and energy to this bruiser, melding it into a California-class BDX by injecting it with sultriness and spice. There’s no mistaking the chalky syrup, the earthy itch or the crushing ripe berry of the Paso Cab, but there is a mellowness and sublime lacy elegance in both the nose and middle I am pegging squarely under the Merlot dance and a shrill tannic Petite Verdot flog with leather, studs, and spice confiture perfectly massaging and engorging the same qualities in the Cab.

I know Linne Calodo is known for their Rhone blends, but check out this Cab. It’s a beauty. If there is any left.  You bling-boys dropping 150+ for California Cab REALLY need to check this out.  This is a bargain.

2016 LINNE CALODO ‘The Martian’ Cab/ME/PV 70/22/8 Paso Robles 14.5

linnecalodo.com

I visited Linne Calodo and two other wineries on the Westside of Paso Robles the other day and you can read about it HERE.