My first time with the new Paso Banshee and I gotta say: GOOD JOB. Pretty much a caricature of Paso. Everything bad you can build into a wine, all the koolaide and vodka-jam and petulant fruit. A far cry from the early Napa bottlings of this label, which were rumored to be Howell Mt. fruit and I declared them easily one of the absolute BEST VALUES on the planet at about 45 bucks.
But here we have gone far, far away from that early ideal. Those wines were too structured, too packed with wit and wisdom, too grainy and alive. The corporate board-room needs pancake syrup and Liquid Smoke in order to pack those supermarket end-caps. The 99% will chug the shit outa this but it is flat out NOT good cab. Make it go away. Label pleads “14-1” to which I would add a STRONG 1%.
This stuff makes Mordecai look like a serious wine. Oh how the mighty have fallen. And for those visiting wine country and Healdsburg and might be dazzled by the funky downtown salon tasting situation: EASILY one of the worst tasting ‘experiences’ I have ever managed to squirm through.
2018 BANSHEE Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles California 14.1
