5 Paso Robles wines are among top 100 of 2020 — and one is under $20, magazine says
Five Paso Robles wines are among the best wines of the year — and one retails for less than $20, according to Wine Enthusiast.
The magazine recently published its prestigious Top 100 Wines of 2020 list.
“Our global team of editors and tasters cumulatively reviewed more than 25,000 wines” to determine the best bottles of the year, the magazine says.
Austin Hope Winery’s 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ranked at No. 7 — the highest of any Central Coast wine on the list.
Writing for Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettman described the wine, which has a rating of 95 points and retails for $56 a bottle, as a “reliable crowd-pleaser” with “hearty aromas of black currant, black plum, lush oak and caramel, accented by a hint of olive and loads of clove and nutmeg.”
“The mouthfeel is hearty and rich, with just enough tannic weight to balance the creamy black-cherry, caramel and chocolate-ice-cream flavors, which lead to an oaky finish,” Kettman wrote.
Reviewers ranked San Simeon Wines’ 2019 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir at No. 12.
“Fresh out of the gates, this bottling is singing in opulent aromas of Bing cherry pie, clove, mace and rosewater,” Kettman wrote of the wine, which retails for $25 and has a 94-point rating. “There is a wealth of baking spice on the palate, from nutmeg to star anise, while the silky, smooth mouthfeel presents flavors of cherry and mulberry.”
Other Paso Robles wines listed among Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Wines of 2020 include Brady Vineyard’s 2018 Zinfandel, which came in at No. 14 sells for $24 and has a rating of 96 points.
Ranked at No. 19 was 2018 The Arborist Estate Red from Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery.
The blend of syrah, petite sirah, granache and tannat, which scored a 94-point rating and retails for just $18, is “a screamingly good deal, offering both hedonistic pleasure and complexity,” Kettman said.
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines’ 2016 Cuvee Pau Red landed on the list at No. 44.
“This is a dense and detailed wine, starting with rich, inviting aromas of dark berries, cherries, cocoa, vanilla and mocha on the nose,” Kettman wrote of the wine, which retails for $60 a bottle and has a 95-point rating. “Those lavish tones carry to the palate, which is framed by chiseled tannins.”
It’s the second time in two years that an Austin Hope wine made Wine Enthusiast’s prestigious year-end rankings. The Paso Robles winery’s 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon placed at No. 10 in 2019.
Inclusion on the Top 100 Wines list is just the latest accolade for San Luis Obispo County vintner Austin Hope, winemaker and president of Hope Family Wines.
Hope, a Cal Poly graduate, was named Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the Year in 2018 by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.
He created the Austin Hope label, which features Rhone varietals, in 2000.
Hope Family Wines’ other brands include Liberty School, Treana and Troublemaker.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 4:34 PM.
