2011 Villa Creek High Road James Berry Vineyard

The most impressive of the lineup and only slightly less impressive than the brilliant 2010, the 2011 High Road James Berry Vineyard checks in as a blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre that was fermented with 40% whole cluster and aged in 50% new French oak. Great stuff, with rich cassis, creamy licorice, spice, toast and tinges of chocolate, it’s massive and rich on the palate, with layers of fruit, no hard edges and a very drinkable profile. I don’t think it will make incredibly old bones, but certainly a decade is well within reason here. Drink now-2021. One of my favorite estates, Cris Cherry’s Villa Creek is located on the western side of Paso Robles, high up off Peachy Canyon Road. He continues to experiment with Rhone and increasingly Spanish (think Rioja and Priorat) varieties, as well as with varying amount of whole-cluster inclusion. The wines offer singular, unique profiles, with loads of flavor and character. Tel. (805) 238-7145; www.villacreekwine.com

Villa Creek's 2011 High Road is easily one of the wines of the vintage. A GSM blend from James Berry, the High Road is also fascinating, because it shows the stylistic breadth that is capable from this site. Rich, savory and finely knit but never heavy, the 2011 impresses for its combination of power and elegance. The 2010 is a wine of more immediate impact while the 2011 is more subtle, but ultimately even more delicious. In 2011 the Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre components were all co-fermented.