Justin Justification 2017
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Robert
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby/purple with black hue at the core and moderately stained tears on the glass. Very aromatic with ripe black, red cherry and blackcurrant fruit, vanilla and cinnamon spice with cedar, autumn leaves, oak, graphite, red licorice and cocoa. Full bodied with ripe red and black fruit and baking spice on entry with oak and dusty tobacco notes joining on the mid-palate and balanced acidity keeping things elegant and fresh. The finish is long and complex with mouth filling, fine tannins, lingering cherry fruit, barrel spice and oak with subtle floral notes.
Full bodied but lively and complex on the palate, the 2017 Justification is a versatile food pairing wine to a wide range of dishes from herb crusted pork loin roasted with root vegetables, a pan seared duck breast, or a filet mignon with a thyme and red wine sauce.
Blend: 65% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Justification is a Right Bank-styled blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot. Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, it offers bright red and black cherry fruits with notions of garrigue, dried herbs, vanilla and cardamom. In the mouth, it’s medium to full-bodied, with slowly opening fruits and a firm, grainy frame. It has great lift and freshness and finishes long. An approachable, friendly style.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of dried berry, baked soil, beef and a hint of smoke show on the nose of this blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot. The palate is dry and smoke-driven, offering iodine and roasted strawberry flavors.
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One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.