#hearst ranch

[corinarose]

[corinarose]

morning dew

[corinarose]

trailside interests

[wine-porn]

Paso BDX

Dark and biting, an almost-typical Paso rendering of Bordeaux-blend nuances, but with a hesitation before the full-on burnt over-ripeness clouding so many examples. Rather subdued nose, shyly exposing mint and must but the concentration and semi-burnt aspects are present. Decanted heavily. Glassine in glycerine aspects, a thick layer of fruit laid down on hi-alc presentation. Chocolate and…

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[wine-porn]

Sister Christian

So ridiculously sweet. Hard to define any underlying nuances from the cloying nature of the body. Nice deep purple-blue in the glass with wide clear edges, a nose raspy enough to *maybe* akin something to cheap Cotes du Rhone but then you taste it. It’s young–let’s give it that. Perhaps a *settling down* is coming, but the sweetness of the cherubic fruit is like sucking soda syrup. No additional…

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[caloutdoors]

What’s Black and White and (Maybe) Out of Place in California?

Zebras at Hearst Ranch. (Shutterstock photo)

Question:I am a South African. I and four others were travelling by car on the 101 north from Santa Barbara, and somewhere just south of the elephant seal sighting point on the coast we were astounded to see a large herd of zebras grazing in a large grassed field. Any information you can give about these zebras would be gratefully received! All five of…

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[wine-porn]

Hearse Ranch

Obtuse pruny petal on a raisin-reduction core, not the darkest ruby on the planet, but glass-staining. Awkward warm-tea nose, a shrill flabbiness not quite fleshy fruit and not quite concentrated, thin but still sicky-sweet. Is that possible? Of course it is. It’s Paso.

A most interesting and awkward nose–not smelling like any Cabernet I have had in my life and seriously taking chunks out of…

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[furtherfurther]

Hearst Ranch Winery, San Simeon