92 Points Wine Spectator
"Smooth, rich, elegant and refined, with a tight, sleek focus on ripe, vibrant, even juicy red currant, black cherry and wild berry flavors that are impeccably balanced, ending with a long, complex finish that keeps the fruity flavors reverberating. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Drink now through 2015." 10,000 cases made. –JL
Decanter World Wine Awards 2008 - May 2008
"The most influential wine competition in the world." Regional Trophy for USA Red Bordeaux Varietals - 2005 ISOSCELES. Just 1% of the over 9000 wines entered were awarded regional trophies and only 3 American wines won trophies in this competition!
86% Cabernet Sauvignon
9% Cabernet Franc
5% Merlot
Barrel-aged 24 months
100% Unfiltered/un-fined
65% New/ 35% One-year old oak
100% French Oak
100% Free Run Juice
100% Sur Lie Aged
| Wine maker notes |
| Unusually warm spring weather awoke the vines following a rainy and cool winter. Summer lingered in the 85-degree range creating even maturity and natural acidity to yield ripe, balanced fruit. Merlot was picked in late September but Cabernet Sauvignon and Caberent Franc not until early November. All were hand harvested. Each was fermented and aged seperately until blended in August 2007. Sixteen months additional aging in 100% French oak incorporated flavors and integrated the wood. Six months bottle aging prior to release softened tannins and further aged the wine.
JUSTIN Winery is a family owned and operated winery making estate grown and produced wines. The property was founded in 1981 by Justin and Deborah Baldwin when they planted their 160 acre property to the major Bordeaux varietals and created their Estate vineyard. The winery is located in the Paso Robles appellation of California’s Central Coast. The region’s first grapes were planted in 1779 by Franciscan missionaries and today are home to the third highest concentration of wineries in the United States. Their desire is to make world class wines that reflect the unique soils and climate of their California Central Coast property. Emphasis is placed on making Bordeaux-style blends and single varietals, combining Old World tradition with New World techniques.
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| Producer |
| JUSTIN Vineyards are located in the Central Coast region of California, less than ten miles from the Pacific Ocean with elevations ranging from 1100 to 1800. The property incorporates a total of 160 acres, of which 72 are mostly dry farmed acres planted in full-bodied Bordeaux grape varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and limited of rich Burgundian style Chardonnay. Additionally, Syrah, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Orange Muscat add to the estate vineyard program. The steep hillside vineyards yield little water and thus, most of the acreage is dry farmed and all the grapes must be hand harvested. Soils are a very important ingredient to their wines` success. Painstaking care is exercised in matching the extremely varied soils to the varietals to coax the truest expression of each varietal`s character and complexity. The vineyards are continuously being updated. Currently, some areas are being replanted to expand Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc acreage using resistant rootstock and French clones to enhance the choice of Bordeaux varietals for their ISOSCELES program.
The focus of JUSTIN is to produce their flagship wine ISOSCELES, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The grape varietals for this wine are specifically selected only from their estate vineyards.
It is the goal of JUSTIN to bring only the highest quality wines to the market. They maintain their objective to be on the cutting edge in winemaking practices by allowing the terrior to come through to expose the soils and growing conditions of the vineyard.
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