Broadside Blackletter Paso Robles Cab Blend 2020

I found this wine at Dorignac’s. 816 cases were made and I’m going back to the store today to buy whatever else is left on the shelf. I really like this wine and I think it can age a few more years and be amazing. It’s 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. It was aged in a combination of new French oak, new French/American hybrid barrels and neutral barrels. And it’s a fruit bomb! These are the notes I scribbled while I was happily drinking it up… Fragrant, big candied apple and cherry aromas, rhubarb, juicy, round, Hawaiian fruit punch but not in a bad way, vanilla extract, lavender, a nice astringency at the end… I was surprised when I read from expert reviewers that the fruit was dark fruit because I felt I was getting more red fruit especially cherries. But I guess that’s why they are the experts. At any rate, even my very inexpert palate sensed a wine that is well made and particularly fun with food. I drank this with a cheeseburger and a stuffed baked potato and it made me extremely happy.

Matt Kettman at Wine Enthusiast said: This is a complex expression, thanks in part to the 11% Cabernet Franc. Aromas of roasted plum, chocolate, mahogany and black olive recall a wooden booth in a classic bar. The palate hits with acid and then a tannic bite, offering strawberry, chai and mace flavors that are lively while rich. Tannins cling on for an extended finish, offering licorice spice to say goodbye. — Matt Kettmann