2021 El Cabrhone

This wine represents harmony and balance across elements that may seem to be a world apart. Behind my back, my team would joke that I was a “cabron,” meaning (in less colorful language) that I was a stickler; one who has a vision that I refuse to compromise. I'm not afraid of hard work, I don't cut corners, and I'm insistent that my team brings these same qualities to the winery every day. This blend is no different.

In their original home of France, these three varietals scarcely share a latitude in common. Cabernet Sauvignon ("Cab") comes from the west, from Bordeaux, while Grenache and Petite Sirah come from southern and eastern France ("Rhone"). Due to their differing regions of origin, they can’t legally be blended or even grown with one another back home, but I know what a special synergy these grapes have when they get to know each other in a bottle, and I refuse to compromise my vision by blindly conforming to the traditions of the Old World. This is Paso, and we are Bodega de Edgar. This is Cabrhone.

We are guided by aroma and taste, and traditions can be damned. I’ll always be a “cabron” about that.

Overall, thanks to a relatively temperate growing season, the timing of the 2021 harvest is about a week or two later than in recent years, with most growers pulling the first of the core white wine grapes in late August. While the region has seen smoke from wildfires up north, it didn't affect the vineyards in Paso Robles. The ongoing drought conditions are presenting growers with a double- edged sword of sorts. The good news is the dry conditions this vintage created smaller, more concentrated grapes, which is ideal for winemaking. While yields are lower, it produces more flavors, bolder colors, strong acidity, and manageable tannins. These conditions have winemakers feeling it's an epic vintage for quality.

The name is a playful description of the blending components in the wine, "Cab" and "Rhone" varietals. Year to year this wine sees a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, along with Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and Petite Sirah. Eclectic but enchanting, this wine highlights the freedom in ignoring boundaries and just creating the most inspiring wine we can each vintage. This is part of a line of wines that is offered at a more accessible price point and sees some distribution in several larger markets here in the states as well as Mexico and Puerto Rico.