Jeb Dunnuck - Feb 2024
The young Mark Adams, who trained under none other than Justin Smith, continues to produce brilliant, singular wines from both his estate fruit and some purchased fruit, which comes from some of the crème de la crème sites in the appellation. The estate vineyard is almost entirely own-rooted and is propagated using a massale selection from the vineyard, which was largely planted from Syrah cloned from the Bone Rock parcel in James Berry. This is a cooler, sandy site located in the Willow Creek District and the wines from here always have some old-world character, yet still speak clearly of Paso Robles. Readers looking for the next cult mailing list are advised to get on this estate's bandwagon.
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Another wine that's going to flirt with perfection, the 2021 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard comes all from Block 11 and is 100% Estrella Clone Syrah. It reveals a deep purple hue as well as a quintessential nose of bloody black and blue fruits, white and black pepper, iron, and assorted gamey, meaty nuances. Concentrated, medium to full-bodied, and seamless, it's an incredible wine in every sense. The only downside is it’s made in tiny quantities!
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The 2021 Grenache from Mark Adams showed beautifully, with a pure, layered, medium to full- bodied style as well as a darker slant in its blackberry, peppery, violet, and spring flower- driven aromas and flavors. It shows the incredibly pure, aromatic character of the vintage beautifully and reminds me of a top Châteauneuf du Pape from sandy soils. The blend is 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 11% Cinsault, and the rest Roussanne, which was 40% destemmed and will spend 20 months in new and used oak.
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loved the 2021 Estate Syrah Blend, which is incredibly perfumed and layered, with a kirsch and blackberry-driven fruit profile as well as notes of spring flowers, ground pepper, and incense. Medium to full-bodied, ultra-pure, and utterly seamless on the palate, this incredible Syrah will drink nicely for 10-15 years. As usual, this has a certain Côte Rôtie-like elegance and floral character that I adore. The blend is 80% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 7% Cinsault, and the rest Roussanne, all from the estate Adams Ranch Vineyard on the west side of Paso Robles, with the élevage being 20 months in new and used barrels.
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Awesome notes of kirsch liqueur, ground pepper, spring flowers, and graphite all define the aromatics of the 2021 James Berry Vineyard, an incredibly complex, layered, sensationally textured wine with a rare, multi-dimensional, remarkably compelling style. Already hard to resist, this is pure Paso Robles magic that readers should do their best to get ahold of. The blend is 75% Grenache, 22% Syrah, and 3% Roussanne that was fermented with plenty of stems and will spend 20 months in new French oak.
Jeb Dunnuck
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The 2018 James Berry Vineyard is certainly in the same league as the 2017 (and 2016) and offers a stunning array of dark berry fruits, ground herbs, exotic flowers, and assorted background meatiness. With Medium to full-bodiedrichness, a distinct sappiness, beautiful tannins, and a monster finish, this singular beauty is going to need 3-4 years of bottle age, but it's an incredible wine in the making.
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From a cooler, sandy site not far from Saxum's James Berry Vineyard, the 2018 Syrah Adams Ranch is another perfumed, finesse-driven beauty that has more in common with a Côte Rôtie from Jamet than your normal Paso Robles Syrah. Pretty raspberry fruits, wildflowers, olive, and subtle peppery notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied, elegant red that shines for its complex, nuanced style more than overt power.
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A new cuvée from a Grand Cru site in the Santa Maria Valley, the 2018 Syrah Bien Nacido offers classic salty, marine-like nuances as well as tons of meaty black fruits, olive, peppered game, and violet aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, seamless, and brilliantly put together, it's another magical 2018 in the making.
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From the estate property (not far from James Berry and in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles) and a blend of 51% Syrah, 46% Grenache, 2% Roussanne, and 1% Mourvèdre, brought up mostly in neutral oak, the 2017 Adams Ranch Vineyard has a singular bouquet of black cherries, mulberries, ground pepper, sappy underbrush, and hints of bacon fat, among other things. Incredibly complex and vibrant aromatically, it's medium to full-bodied, has sappy tannins, notable balance, and a great finish. It's a cool-climate, sappy red that needs 3-5 years of bottle age and is going to keep for over a decade. Those looking for a classic decadent Paso Robles Syrah needs to look elsewhere, but this beauty is the real deal.
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The 2017 James Berry Vineyard is a complex, elegant blend of 35% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 26% Mourvèdre, and a whopping 11% Roussanne that was brought up in a new 500-liter barrel, and a used 300-liter barrel. Sexy notes of candied cherries, plums, cracked pepper, and bouquet garni all flow into a medium to full-bodied blend that has a silky, seamless texture, polished tannins, and a beautiful sense of purity and complexity paired with plenty of richness and depth.
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Made mostly from Counoise, Mark has turned out a rocking rosé with his 2017 MCA Rosé James Berry Vineyard. Plenty of citrus, orange rind, and a touch of minerality all emerge from this fresh, yet textured rosé that ticks all the right boxes. Made in a Provençal style, it's going to be versatile on the dinner table.
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Slightly deeper colored, the 2016 James Berry Vineyard checks in as 64% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre, and 4% Roussanne that was 75% destemmed and spent 19 months in a new Atelier 350-liter barrel, and neutral a 300-liter barrel. Unfortunately, there's not much to go around, but this is a magical wine that offers a fabulous perfume of spring flowers, black raspberries, ground pepper, and crushed rocks. Deep, layered, multi-dimensional, and with awesome purity of fruit, it's one of the finest wines yet from this estate and readers should jump at the chance to latch onto a bottle or two.
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The 2017 James Berry Vineyard is a blend of 33% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 26% Mourvèdre, and 11% Roussanne. Medium to deep ruby in the glass, it has pretty scents of raspberry tart, strawberry preserves, charcuterie, pepper, and salami with notes of spiced blackberries, cranberry jelly, and an earthy undercurrent. Medium to full-bodied, it's silky and explodes with savory flavor layers, firmly grainy and very fresh, finishing long and perfumed.
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The 2017 Adams Ranch is a blend of 52% Syrah, 48% Grenache, 2% Roussanne, and 1% Mourvèdre, grown in sandy soil and made with 50% whole cluster. Pale to medium ruby, it gives up peppered charcuterie, sour cherries, scorched earth, burnt orange peel. potpourri, dried leaves, bark and Angostura bitters aromas with loads of ripe red berry fruit at the core. Medium to full-bodied and slowly unfurling in the mouth to high toned notions, it has a firm, chalky frame and good freshness on the finish.
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The 2016 Zinfandel Dante Dusi Vineyard, made with 50% whole cluster, has a pale to medium ruby color and aromas of baked peaches, Italian plum, red cherry preserves, prosciutto, dust, tree bark, and amaro with touches of dried flowers. Light to medium-bodied, it's delicate and pretty with spice and bitters accents and a long, lifted finish.
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The 2016 MCA Cuvée Paso is made up of 30% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Syrah, 15% Syrah, 15% Tannat, and 15% Cinsault. Medium to deep ruby, it has a spicy nose with aromas of pepper, leather, sour cherries, cranberries, scorched earth, and Agnostra Bitters plus notes of powdered sugar and charcuterie. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is bitters-tinged and lifted, with a grainy frame and long, perfumed finish.