At the expense of going all Cinderella story on you, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of this orphan. I hate to say “I wasn’t expecting much” but I had deep reservations for where it might be. Just stunning wine from the first sniff. Rich and leathery, deep polished fruit balled up and exploding with spice and caramel. Dark, dense spice: candied cinnamon and nutmeg and cardamom wrapped around a conifer-core edgy and brilliant. blind, I think I might actually go Napa Valley on this–such is the dust and pitch and almost volcanic resonance. And then you taste it.
Dark impenetrable ruby–not a speck of brick–thick and rich on the palate, ALL the berries stewed down into a tincture of pure decadence. Amazingly delicate on entry and over the middle considering the POWER pumping out of this thing mid-swim. Cool and delicious–refreshing, even–something I wouldn’t think I would EVER say about a Paso Iberian. A bit flabby, I suppose… but the way it works its nectar down into the creases of jagged acid and poignant tannin, you’ll just come off calling it brilliant. You can SMELL the prickly tannin nape on it. You can tongue the buttery spice. You can do anything you want to this girl and she will love it.
Concentrated and delicious–and I can’t emphasize DELICIOUS enough–this is a stunning wine and my hat is off to this winemaker.
2009 PER CASO ‘Epigram’ Temp/TN/SZ 65/25/10 Paso Robles California 14.5
Stephen McConnell 