The 2018 L' Aventure Estate Cuvee is a blend of 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot, aged in 90% new French oak. It tastes like a true Cabernet Sauvignon, but with more sex appeal. In the glass the wine is a very deep ruby purple in color, it explodes on the nose with scents of cherry, lavender, crème de cassis, soy sauce, cedar, leather, roasted coffee and chocolate. The taste is full, intense and grainy with a stunning freshness, which finishes very long and layered. French winemaker Stephan Asseo has a unique perspective on making wine in Paso Robles, having made wine in Bordeaux for 17 years before moving to California. “I moved here to have more freedom. Not to make appellation wine, but to make my own interpretation of my own terroir,” he says. “In Bordeaux, an appellation means one style of wine. I love the creativity here. In Paso, we shoot in all directions.” KEY POINTS • Owner Stephan Asseo is one of the most influential winemakers in California • Paso Robles is often called the “Rhone” of California • L'Aventure is located west of Paso Robles and benefits from the freshness of the ocean • A unique terroir made of pebbly and calcareous soils on rolling hills • Estate Cuvee and Optimus have unique blends, with Syrah, Cabernet Sauv and Petit Verdot • Very high ratings (a few 100 points in the past decade) • Very scarce and the xxport represents 10% of the harvest • Only 3 Négociants in Bordeaux who are allowed to distribute wine worldwide • There will be no 2021 release to extend the aging process • Affordable price compared to Napa Cult wines A summary of James Suckling's about l'Aventure and Paso Roble “PASO ROBLES' DOBLE: FRESH AND BALANCED" Although Paso Robles wines often come with high alcohol, that doesn't stop producers from making fresh and balanced bottles. Leading producers such as L'Aventure […] found high-pitched balance with great intensity and phenolic ripeness that offset the heat, which is barely noticeable even with high alcohol levels. “To achieve the maturity of polyphenols, we need to keep the fruit longer on the vines because of the cool nights here” said Stephane Asseo of L'Aventure, in Paso's Willow Creek district. “You have to put everything into context. We are in Paso, so we make Paso wines.” Asseo also stressed the importance of phenolic ripeness, saying it would be a mistake to harvest too early just for the sake of lower alcohol. “It is crucial to look at the maturity of polyphenols, not just Brix levels,” he said, referring to the measurement of sugar levels in grapes and wine. L'Aventure's Paso Robles Willow Creek District Cote a Cote 2020, a blend of 45 percent grenache, 30 percent syrah and 25 percent mourvedre, was the standout among the wineries' many blended wines and cabernet sauvignons.”