critic reviews
Intense cassis and blueberry, olive tapenade, black pepper, sage and rosemary. This is concentrated with slate tannins and a slow build that offers balance and promise of long ageing. Renamed from Estate Cuvée from this vintage. Unfiltered and unfined. Chloe Asseo director, Stephan Asseo owner and winemaker, from the Willow Creek district of Paso Robles.
The 2022 Estate Cuvee is driven by opaque fruits and toasty, cappuccino-like aromas framed by dried herbs. The palate is opulent and polished, leading to an immensely chewy, grainy finish of harsh tannins. Since my tasting was before the wine's July bottling date, I had the opportunity to taste from both new and one-year-old barrels; the wine from the used wood was substantially more balanced and forgiving on the finish, although these barrels will make up only 18% of the final blend. This was quite instructive given my impressions of the L'Aventure lineup, which, during this tasting, consistently displayed harshly tannic finishes.