Awards

20th Annual California Zinfandel Championship Competition

DOUBLE GOLD

2014 CIRCLE B VINEYARD & CELLARS ZINFANDEL*
*Selected for “Sweepstakes” Grand Champion final blind tasting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paso Wine Nerds

“In a Paso Wine Nerds blind tasting of Central Coast Rose’s, Circle B Vineyard & Cellars 2015 Rosé de Garnacha scored a 92.67 score to top all others and be selected top rosé of the night.”

Paso Robles Daily news.com

June 5th 2019

Best Paso Robles Wines for the Summer-Rose

Chosen to be a winner for best Summer Rose is 2017 Circle B Vineyards Rose de Garnacha -$20.00

Rose Colored with flavors of melon, lychee, and strawberry with a soft mouthfeel.

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CB PV

by Stephen McConnell

You can *kinda* see through this wine... it's not completely pitch-black, but pretty close. Black ruby with a minuscule pink rim. Big heady perfume, rich and dark. The concentration on this thing doesn't mess around, coming at you full-bore with fat juicy dripping black cherry and generous oak. Sweet and nutty in the nose, it reeks of decadence. Lots of air brings out a milk-chocolate note not *quite* earthy enough to call cola.

Funny how PV can be. I had one last week that was fairly structured. I've had them so oblique they are hard to drink--impossible young. I had a glass of one the other day made by a huge winemaker definitely aimed at the 99, with disgustingly sweet fruit and a fuzzy blanket of toasty oak covering everything. I'm hoping this one isn't *designed* like that, but it smells good enough to come close.

In the mouth, yes, happily: NOT as sweet and soft as the one I mentioned, but definitely jam-packed with lush RIPE berry. Clean and nice, extremely rich, not much acid, just a tannic pang underlying everything. Beautiful finish, smoky and layered nicely between the fruit and structure. I expected a little heat, but now am feeling like this might not be as ripe as I suspected. I'm guessing this thing is WELL under 15-oh. Clean, chalky-bitter and nice for ever and ever.

Brand new winery, been growing grapes for a while and decided to bite off on their own label. Nice folks too. This is a well-made wine, top-to-bottom, and it should be his most popular.

2016 CIRCLE B VINEYARD & CELLARS Petit Verdot Shale Oak Vyd Paso Robles California 13.7

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Full Circle

by Stephen McConnell

 

Dark and brooding with an abrupt edge, it takes an immediate turn in the nose towards lusciousness, broken stem and super-ripe fruit. A ridge of sweet-briar arches through the middle, dragging a peaty-toasty oak influence along. And everywhere, a plush pillow of fruit.

In the mouth, a richness not often seen from this variety. Remember though: it is 30% Cab. Carignan can be made in 2 or 3 different styles, and this one definitely tweaks the *lush ripe style* by injecting a fat chunk of Paso Robles Cabernet into the mix. That addition shows up--I think--especially in the early nose, where complex spice are apparent, and the finish, where the dry bite of solid tannin wipe everything else out.

This is an easy-drinking wine, blended for the best of all worlds and doing a bang-up job at it. Lush, fruity and yummy, while maintaining warmth and concentration, it's kinda a bruiser in disguise.

2017 CIRCLE B VINEYARD Cariñena/Cab 70/30 Estrella District Paso Robles 14.7

Circle the Wagons

by Stephen McConnell

 

Dark purple with a wide clear edge. Dark-fruit aromas headed tropical--very fleshy in the nose. Banana and divinity, dulce de leche with applesauce and warm, ripe blackberry.

Tiny little mom & pop winery in Paso Robles just gettin going on the commercial side of a wine-label after playing the home-winemaking and grape-growing game for many years. Been following along for many years their progress into the pro-side, and now have a few of them to play with.

In the mouth, considerably more of the angst we associate with good Carignane. Beautiful grainy fruit, tight and rigid while still managing to pack a juicy sweet cherry core. A bit of briar in the nose translates into a HEAP of it mid-palate, but the fruit keeps pace, turning on a spigot of acid along the way. Everything dives perfectly into the finish, piercing the hefty tannins and slowly being monopolized by them. Your last memory is a green-bitter berry, and THAT is how I like to remember a Carignane at this young age.

Full Circle

by Stephen McConnell

 

Reached back into the Circle B bag of tricks tonight for a little Paso Robles Grenache. Thick and rich, rootbeer and carborundum coming off the nose with a dark stewed berry. Concentrated cherry, glazed jerky and a sharp mineralific streak of acid which pretty much comprises the finish--alongside a little lead shavings and dusty rose. Lovely stuff if you can find it.