98
Blue fruits, crushed stone, graphite, pepper, and some meaty nuances all emerge from the 2023 Les Demoiselles, a Mourvèdre-dominant blend of 70% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, and 10% Grenache aged 18 months in 100% one-year-old French oak. It's tight and inward right now, yet incredibly pure and precise, and has the vintage purity in its medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, polished tannins, and great finish. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will see its 20th birthday in fine form. Drink 2030-2046.
L’Aventure is the estate of Stephan Asseo, who left Bordeaux in search of freedom from AOC rules and settled on Paso Robles’ west side in 1997, releasing his first wines under the label the following year. Asseo has largely stepped back from the day-to-day operations, with his daughter Chloé Asseo-Fabre running the estate and longtime associate winemaker Patrick Davies taking a lead role in the winemaking. The Thiénot family of Champagne has been a partner since 2017, and the flagship Estate Cuvée was renamed Estate Reserve beginning with the 2022 vintage. The lineup is built around Optimus, the more approachable Syrah/Cabernet blend; the flagship Estate Reserve, which remains the clearest expression of Asseo’s Rhône-meets-Bordeaux vision; the Rhône-focused Côte à Côte; a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon; the more Syrah-driven Chloé and For Her cuvées; and the Roussanne-based Estate Reserve Blanc. The range has since expanded further with the Grenache-Cabernet-Syrah co-ferment Inspiracion, the Mourvèdre-dominant Les Demoiselles, the Petit Verdot-based Le Grand Verdot, and Novus, a new Cabernet Franc-driven one-off. These are easily some of the finest wines being made in California today. They’re rich, powerful, and concentrated, yet always impeccably made, with remarkable purity, balance, and elegance, and they age beautifully.