2008 J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

Surprising, Young Paso Cab Blend

Last autumn, I participated, if only briefly, in the judging process for the Cabernet Shootout. I discovered that day a few truths: first, tasting and judging a whole slew of wines in one afternoon really isn’t for me. Second, I really quite enjoy Paso Robles cabernet sauvignon.

First off, who is J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines? A big, big, big winery. The 16th largest in California, with an annual production of over 1,000,000 cases. That’s over 2.3 million gallons of juice every year.

Supermarket Surprise

So, this is no boutique shop. No newcomer, scratching for attention. Probably not the kind of winery that sends samples to wine bloggers, for instance. This bottle, I tasted because a friend brought it over to the house, and wanted to know my opinion.

My opinion, frankly, surprised me. This ain’t so bad!

First things first, the 2008 J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is not just cabernet sauvignon. It’s a blend of many red grapes: 78% cab sauv, 9% petite sirah, 4% syrah, 3% merlot, 3% petit verdot, 2% cabernet franc, and 1% (and this is my favorite part) “other reds.”

Ha! “Other reds,” seriously? That’s creepy.

But what of the wine? It’s got a dark, almost black core in the glass, and lightens to ruby red edges. On the nose are very cabernet-esque aromas of blackberry, raspberry, and cedar.

The wine is medium-bodied, with something of a short finish. It’s fruit-forward, with more blackberry and raspberry on the palate, but also some nice, though tight, tannin structure that makes me think it will age, if only 2-5 years or so.

It’s really quite enjoyable, and shows an age-worthiness and structure that seems out of place of its production level and its sub-$10 price point. Which makes it the first-ever recipient of my Supermarket Surprise badge.

J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 Turley Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel

Hot Paso Zin For Your Cold Autumn Nights

2008 Turley Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel

It’s cold!

For those of you without the good fortune of calling the San Francisco Bay Area home, let me introduce you to the term “weather wimp.”

Weather Wimp, n., one unaccustomed to extreme changes in weather conditions and temperature, and who will embarrassingly complain about daytime temperatures outside the range of 65°–85° Fahrenheit.

This obviously changes a bit from season to season. We weather wimps are not unreasonable. We don’t expect 85 degree weather in November. But we also can’t handle 35 degrees in November. During the day. With the sun out.

In order to salve my worried soul over the implications of such CLIMATE CHANGE (sorry, was that emphasis distracting?) on my future and the future of my as-yet-to-be-conceived children, I turn to you, dear reader, with a tale of hot wine for cold nights.

Now, “hot” isn’t always a good thing. Usually, in fact, it’s used in a derogatory manner to describe wine that shows off too much of its alcohol; that is, to put it bluntly, unbalanced. Perhaps nigh undrinkable.

But I also think of “hot” wine as big, bold, fruity, and yes, alcohol-heavy wine from hot regions of the world, like Australia, parts of South America, and California’s Central Valley, like Lodi or Fresno.

Or Paso Robles.

Dusty, windy, seemingly inhospitable, to an outsider appearing to be fit for neither man nor beast, Paso Robles provides the world with some very impressive wine. The hot region within California’s sprawling Central Coast AVA is home to, among many others, Dusi Vineyard.

Turley Wine Cellars, located just a hop, skip, and a jump down 101 from the city of Paso Robles itself, is one of more than a few winemakers to make zinfandel from Dusi Vineyard grapes. And what kind of zinfandel is it, you ask?

It’s pretty. It’s really quite pretty. Bright, brilliant red-pink in the glass. Lots of zinfandel hangs out in the darker hues, but this is nice and bright. Warm, and inviting. It stays pretty on the nose, too, with underripe strawberry and some succulent red apple notes. Finally, it’s pretty on the way down, as well: a sort of candied cherry mixes with some earthtones to mellow out what was beginning to be a too-pretty, too-sweet affair.

And the alcohol is here. This isn’t, by any means, a food-pairing wine. But on a cold autumn night, with temperatures hovering in the high 30s or low 40s, your favorite weather wimp likes to be warmed up. And this is a hot Paso Robles zinfandel that can do just that.

Verdict: 89/100
Price Point: $50-$60

2009 Pithy Little Wine Company Sangiovese Rosé

A Different Kind of Pink Wine

Pink wine. And a skull.

I’m starting to really like rosés. I think it started with sparkling rosé, which I pretty early on took to have more complexity—and, well, oomph—than blanc de blancs and blanc de noirs sparkling. Part of me is still the macho guy who isn’t 100% comfortable drinking a pink wine, but some of them are just so damn good, that it doesn’t matter.

Take this sangiovese rosé, for instance. Made from sangio grapes grown in the French Camp Vineyard in the Paso Robles AVA, it is a rosé unto itself.

First off, the wine isn’t particularly pink; it’s more of an orange, or a “pale red.” I know what you’re saying to yourself—“pale red” is pink, Steve!—and really, you’re not wrong. It just doesn’t really look pink in the glass, hence the distinction—even if it is silly, and even if it isn’t really accurate—of calling it “pale red.”

The nose on this wine just screams “summer!” It features notes of bright strawberry, apricot, and peach. The wine is light bodied, crisp and refreshing, would be even moreso in a deep chill I think. The dominant notes on the palate are peach and strawberry.

The wine isn’t incredibly complex or anything. It’s not a blow-you-away wine. What it is, is incredibly delicious. Do like I did, get over your aversion to pink wine (assuming you have one), and give this Central Coaster a shot. It’s perfect for a hot summer day.

Verdict: B+

(photo: Not of the actual Pithy Sangio Rosé, I just thought it was an awesome picture of a pink wine. Courtesy Flickr user Deannster / CC BY-NC-ND)