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The Highland 41 Black Granite Paso Robles Red 2020 was picked as the #1 wine in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Value Wines ($15 and under) of 2022. It is widely available but Costco has it for $11.99.
It is a blend of 45% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, 15% Malbec, 10% Syrah, and 10% Merlot all sourced from the certified sustainably farmed Creston Highlands vineyards.
The Highland 41 Black Granite Paso Robles Red 2020 is a brand from Riboli Family Wines and the Creston Highlands is one of their several Estate vineyards. The vineyard is located in the Creston District AVA, a Paso Robles AVA sub-AVA. Paso Robles is about halfway between Las Angeles and San Franciso.
The vineyard is situated on rolling hills and the soil has remnants of seashells from the seabed of an ancient sea. A single vineyard estate wine from Paso Robles that sell for under $15 is a bargain that is hard to ignore.
The Highland 41 Black Granite Paso Robles Red 2020 was aged for ten months old. 10% of the barrels were new the other 90% were neutral barrels. Neutral barrels have been used often enough that they no longer have oak influence to impart. Even though they are not adding oak flavors the wine aged in neutral barrels takes on different characteristics than wine aged in stainless steel vats.
The Highlands in the name refers to the vineyard and the 41 is the highway that runs thru the area. I am not sure of the significance of the Black Marble since the tech notes only mention ancient seashells. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
The Highland 41 Black Granite Paso Robles Red 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is raspberry jelly red with black highlights. The nose is rich and ripe, there is blackberry, black pepper, toasty vanilla, black cherry, spice, a slightly savory note, and cranberry. The Highland 41 Black Granite Paso Robles Red 2020 is long and sleek, with a wide variety of textures and flavors.
This Red blend tastes like ripe blackberry, rough-edged spice, vanilla, plum, and tart cherry. The mid-palate offers a slight pull from dusty tannins, dried strawberry bits, a salty sensation, another flavor of spice, and blueberry.
The acidity is well-balanced and allows the flavors to fully unfold.
The Summary
- The Highland 41 Black Granite Paso Robles Red 2020 is an excellent Red Blend.
- At Costco’s price of $11.99, it is a steal.
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