2021 Herman Story Wines “Made” Proprietary Red Blend, California.
The unique “Made” red blend here, made by Russell From, winemaker at Herman Story in Paso Robles, is a dense, dark fruited and deeply purple hued wine comprised of 31% Sangiovese, 20% Syrah, 18% Barbera, 17% Teroldego, the rare Dolomiti grape, and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. The “Made” red is a wine that begs for a rare steak and or hard sheep cheeses to cut into the tannic backbone and concentration of fruit, which feels thickly rich on the full bodied palate, very much in keeping with the stye here and will thrill From’s fans. This luxurious cuvée, loosely Italian inspired, but all Californian in ripe presence and opulence with dark berry coulis, boysenberry, blueberry compote, plum, black cherry and currant fruits along with smoky/toasty oak, dried herbs, sweet tobacco leaf, mocha, allspice, acacia flower and lingering creme de cassis accents. This wine, coming in at 15.6% natural alcohol, really coats the mouth and is teeth staining and is distinctively hedonistic in style, much the same way as Leonetti (Walla Walla), and other Paso Robles icons, like Linne Calodo, Torrin and L’Aventure. As the wine opens, there is some complex savory tones and the aromas blossoms with violets in the glass. From recommends at least a 30 minute decanting of his reds and as mentioned I’d suggest a hearty and robust meal to pair with this one, wild mushroom dishes and meaty dishes.
Herman Story, named after Russell From’s salt of the earth grandfather is a small producer, based downtown Paso Robles, most famous for Syrah based offerings, most notably his signature “Nuts & Bolts” bottling, plus as per normal around here, intriguing red blends, like this one, along with another cult hit called “Milk & Honey” made from Tempranillo and Syrah. These wines are big and impressive efforts with loads of intensity, most are very limited cuvées with rarely over 4 to 5 barrels made of each and everything here is done exclusively by Russell himself. He and his wife, who is the force and winemaker of Desparada, are a youthful power couple that produce a great range of handcrafted wines that reflect the bounty of the Paso Robles of Santa Barbara regions. Russell From has added a few more specialities to his lineup in recent years, these include a 100% Viognier, called the Tomboy, The On the Road 100% Grenache, The First Time Caller 100% Petite Sirah and very desirable Bien Nacido Vineyard 100% Syrah. Then, there is the even more rare seasonal “After Hours” Rosé of Grenache with an electric and vivid ruby/pink color and three barrel “Buckle Bunny” white, made from 100% Edna Valley Marsanne. This “Made” red blend is sourced from quality sites from around Santa Barbara County and Paso Robles, crushed and de-stemmed and aged in toasty French oak, seeing a long cold soak and full extraction, after which it aged for around 18 months with a high percentage of new wood, as is the case with most of the reds here.
($65 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive