Barrel 27 2008 Bull By The Horns

DATE CONSUMED

Sunday, October 6, 2013

VINTAGE

2008

WINERY/PRODUCER

Barrel 27

WINE NAME

Bull By The Horns

TYPE OF WINE

Red blend

COMPOSITION

55% Syrah, 31% Tempranillo, 14% Petite Verdot

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/APPELLATION/A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area)

Central Coast (California)

ALCOHOL CONTENT

15.8%

PRICE PAID

$34.32 (includes sales tax)

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND/OR HOW PROCURED

We bought this bottle at Barrel 27’s tasting room in Paso Robles on the way back from visiting friends in Sacramento on Thanksgiving weekend last year.  I had read several good reviews of Barrel 27 wines and wanted to give them a try.  I can’t determine if Barrel 27 has their own vineyards and sells their wines via their non-winery tasting room in an industrial park off of Paso’s main road (Highway 46, east of the 101 freeway) or if they’re negociants and purchase their grapes from various vintners.

BOUQUET

This wine has a fantastically rich, creamy, spicy bouquet.    There’s tons of black fruit and spices up front (especially black pepper and savory herbs), followed by a slight earthiness.  Can’t wait to taste this Bad Boy!

TASTING NOTES

My previous tasting note covered a slightly unusual/interesting red blend that would have NOT been allowed in Europe (at least in Spain, France, and Italy).  Here we are again with another VERY interesting California blend that would NOT be allowed in many, if not most/all, parts of Europe.  And that’s what I LOVE about California blends; there are no written-in-stone rules and the sky’s the limit.  This blend falls right in line with that last sentiment. 

Who would even think about blending a Rhone varietal (55% Syrah) with Spain’s most famous varietal (31% Tempranillo), along with one of Bordeaux’s famous blending varietals (14% Petite Verdot)?!?!  Certainly not me.  But those divergent varietals work beautifully together, defying any/all expectations and/or preconceptions.

This is a gorgeously rich, creamy, complexly-flavored, slightly oaky, spicy, earthy blend that can stand-up to the best red blends that California has to offer (at least those under $100).  The most prominent flavor characteristics are ripe dark fruits (plums especially), TONS of savory herbs and black pepper (especially rosemary and thyme), creamy oak and soft, sweet, velvety tannins, along with a certain “je ne sais quoi” that I will attribute to terrior (loosely translated as a “sense of place” as it refers to soil, weather, topography, etc.).  Perhaps owing to its 55% Rhone varietal (Syrah), if I were to taste this wine completely blind, I would have guessed that this may/could have been a Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  The wine exhibits that chalky soil essence and dark fruit and spicy characteristic, along with incredible complexity and depth-of-flavors. 

Despite the rather elevated alcohol level, this wine is beautifully well-balanced and offers layer upon layer upon layer of nuanced flavors.  Most red wines at this alcohol level are usually just big, brash Fruit Bombs; not this beauty!  For the price, this is one difficult red blend to beat.  Quite frankly, this is easily one of the best Cali red blends I’ve tasted all year.  If I knew how well it would taste at home (I sometimes doubt my perceptions in tasting rooms on wine trips due to excessive samplings from excessive tasting rooms), we would have bought an entire case of this red beauty.  It truly is that good/delicious!!!

To the guys at Barrel 27: please keep pushing that envelope!  You guys OBVIOUSLY know what the heck you’re doing.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We paired this wine with Arthur’s famous lamb chops covered with a pesto of rosemary, roasted garlic, and parsley.  It was a match made in heaven!!!!  But thanks to the Rhone, Bordeaux, and Spanish grapes used, this wine would just about pair with any/all red meat dishes, especially grilled steaks, lamb shanks and racks, prime rib, and even pot roast and hamburgers.  This wine is SO good it almost doesn’t matter what you would pair it with; the wine will, in essence, be the star of the show/dinner.  But seriously; pair it with a quality red meat dish and you will NOT be disappointed.

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking (obviously) fantastically right now and will probably continue to age, mature, develop, and evolve gorgeously for another 10+ years.

SCORE (on a 100-point scale)

93

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

EXCELLENT

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.barrel27-mcpricemyers.com/