Villa Creek Avenger 2020
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Jeb
Dunnuck
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Aromatics of blackberry and iron, sage, smoked meat, purple flowers and gummy candies. On the palate berry and bramble, licorice, thyme, sanguine. Compact and very old-world in style with firm structure and a dense mouthfeel of tangy black and blue fruit, with iron and stone. Finishes with ripe tannin.
Blend: 38% Syrah, 36% Carignan, 20% Petite Sirah, 5% Grenache, 1% Mourvedre
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Avenger also has more subtle aromatics but brings plenty of richness and texture. Darker fruits, cassis, ground pepper, and leather define the aromatics, and it has a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's a terrific Syrah from a more challenging vintage. Count me impressed.
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Today, they farm their own certified biodynamic and certified organic vineyard, the MAHA Estate in the hills west of Paso Robles. They continue to purchase grapes from the region's most esteemed vineyards and strive to create exciting wines that reflect the land from which they originated.
The MAHA Estate is 8 miles west of Paso Robles. Extreme topography of south and west facing slopes that climb to 1800 feet continue to captivate Cris and JoAnn with the dynamic views of the coastal mountain range. The winery was erected in 2003 to house the production of roughly 3000 cases of wine each year. Monterey shale and siliceous shale provide an ideal foundation for the Rhone grape varieties planted in 2012 and 2013. Sustaining the vibrancy and the health of the land by farming the grapes under organic and biodynamic principles will, in turn, make vibrant wines. The soil is abundant in micro organisms and is the perfect host to the vines, the family and their flock of 30 Dorper sheep that graze the vineyard in the winter and spring. The energy of this site is palpable.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
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.