2021 Corral Wine, Tres Amigos Red Blend, Central Coast.
The dark opaque purple Tres Amigos Red Blend by Corral Wine Company, made from 66% Syrah from the Highlands Ranch in the Santa Lucia Highlands, 20% Paso Robles Petite Sirah and 14% Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is deeply concentrated and luxurious on the full bodied palate with thick layers of jammy black raspberry, blueberry, currant and black cherry fruits, along with hints of violets, graphite, pipe tobacco, black fig, mocha, a light dusting of peppery spices, sweet cedary toasty oak, shaved vanilla and licorice. Even though much more Syrah in the blend, the lush Cabernet Sauvignon and ripe Petite Sirah shine through and the tannins are opulent and creamy smooth, while the cool climate nature of the SLH Syrah also gives a nice lift of acidity and savory elements, making for nicely balance red wine to enjoy with a hearty meal. This Tres Amigos might be a one off rarity, as this wine was crafted from lots that were originally brought in for the set of single varietal bottlings and put together by winemaker Adrien Valenzuela, who has bended Syrah and Cabernet before here with some excellent results. The grapes all de-stemmed and fermented separately saw more than a year in mainly used French oak, though the Cabernet and Petite Sirah sometimes sees a bit of new wood and a tiny percentage of America oak, with the blend done post fermentation.
The Corral Wine label is a an artisan winery started by Larry Bell of Bell Family Vineyards and based in Monterey County and primarily known for their estate Pinot Noir, which began in 2017, in their barn in Corral de Tierra, in the hills between Carmel Valley and Salinas. That year Corral barreled the first batch of estate Pinot Noir, and while in the same barn, they’ve added an array wines made with even more varietals, all sourced from, as Bell notes, some of the best grapes on the Central Coast including in the Santa Lucia Highlands and westside Paso Robles, as seen here with this unique Tres Amigos red wine. As mentioned before in my prior reviews, Corral’s winemaker Adrien Valenzuela, a Salinas and Monterey County native, is one of a hugely talented new set of home grown local winemakers in the region, who trained with a huge corporate winery is making a name for himself with these small batch offerings. As I’ve said before, young winemakers, have a tough road to success and there are many roadblocks along the way, so it is great to see young people taking their chance and making it in this business, especially here in Monterey, which clearly Adrien is doing here with Corral. The lineup at Corral is well worth checking out, from their Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Rosé to their set of Pinots, as well as a deeply colored and full bodied alternative reds, like this one. Most of the wines, all very limited, are available for tasting and purchase at their Carmel Valley Village tasting room, as well as on their website and mailing list.
($64 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive