Score: |
95 VM. "(Raised in large, neutral oak barrels for 16 months) Inky, bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe, smoke-tinged raspberry, blueberry and floral pastille aromas show outstanding clarity, and a peppery element adds lively, spicy lift. Juicy and broad on the palate, offering densely packed yet lively red and blue fruit, candied lavender flavors and a hint of five-spice powder. Displays superb energy on a broad, seamless, strikingly long finish firmed by supple tannins and sharpened by a late jolt of juicy acidity. Winemaker Anthony Yount walked me through these 2016s, which provide compelling evidence that he’s succeeding in his aim to move the Denner wines toward greater detail and finesse “without sacrificing the flavor intensity” for which Paso Robles has become known. Attention and care in farming is the biggest factor, he told me, “because you can try all you want to make an elegant wine, but it doesn’t mean anything if you start off with fruit that is not in balance.” I always find myself surprised (pleasantly) by the combination of alcohol content and pH and acidity numbers compared to the energy and freshness that the Denner wines show here, so I gave up guessing a long time ago. Here’s an address where the numbers are just that – numbers." Josh Raynolds, Vinous.com, Sep 2018 |