Winemaker Notes
Bright with a dark purple/black core lightening to ruby/purple at the rim, with slowly forming, moderately stained tears on the glass. Complex and attractively aromatic, showing very ripe cherry and black currant fruit followed by savory notes of cedar, pipe tobacco, vanilla bean, baking spice, and warm oak. Full-bodied on the palate with ripe notes of crème de cassis and black cherry jam, with hints of red berry fruit on entry and vanilla, licorice, and baking spice leading into the mid-palate, which shows complex savory notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, and leather. The lengthy and continually changing finish progresses from ripe black cherry fruit flavors accented by baking spice and oak notes to ripe chewy tannins and balancing acidity that adds depth and freshness.
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot
About Justin Winery
OUR VINEYARDS – We planted our first vineyard back in 1981 with a mission to make world-class Bordeaux-style blends. Since then, we’ve expanded both our knowledge of viticulture in this unique region as well as our acreage.
SOIL – Rich in fossilized limestone from eons of marine deposits, JUSTIN’s soil is ideally suited to creating big, Bordeaux-style reds. The limestone “stresses” the vines, producing grapes that fully express their varietal character.
CLIMATE – Paso Robles’ distinctive microclimate offers the widest day-night temperature swings of any grape-growing region in California. The hot days allow the grapes to develop intense flavor, while the cool nights create great structure and balance.
OUR WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
At JUSTIN, we combine traditional Old World methods—like hand-harvesting and small-barrel aging in French oak—with New World technology. For example: the “Air Knife,” an ingenious process invented by our winemakers, boosts grape quality and efficiency.
Once the grapes are harvested, our winemakers—some of the best in the business—gather to sort, select, age, taste, blend and decide what goes into every bottle.
