2006 Linne Calodo Slacker

(67% syrah, 18% grenache and 15% mourvedre) Bright red. Spicy red berries, flowers and white pepper on the nose; smells like there's more grenache in here than 18%. Tangy and sharply focused, with racy strawberry and bitter cherry flavors, silky texture and a late note of smoky minerals. Fresher and more energetic than the Rising Tides, with excellent finishing lift and clarity. (JR)

The darker ruby-hued 2006 Slacker is made from 60% Syrah, 25% Grenache, and 15% Mourvedre. Although the tannins are slightly more noticeable, it also reveals plenty of crushed rock, cassis, black cherry, and earth notes. It is an outstanding, more austerely-styled wine that should reveal more charms with another year or so of bottle age. Enjoy it over the following decade. Matt Trevisan is one of Paso Robles’ up-and-coming stars. He’s doing everything right, and it’s good to see him planting a new estate vineyard of nearly 18 acres, building a new wine cellar, and taking full advantage of the gorgeous limestone soils on the hillsides of West Paso Robles. Trevisan has also been ahead of the curve in realizing that the finest Paso Robles wines are usually blends. Undeniably, he has demonstrated a Midas touch when it comes to assembling innovative blends. He is also the only winemaker in this region that I know of who is doing terrific work with Zinfandel, using it as the core component in some diverse as well as creative blends. His wines spend time in an assortment of different sized oak barrels, little of it new. 2006 is a strong vintage for Trevisan, further bolstering his ability to deal with more challenging harvests. Paso Robles has many old, dry-farmed Zinfandel vineyards in this area, most of which are being under-utilized. However, Matt Trevisan’s innovative use of this varietal includes the following four offerings, all brilliant examples of how Zinfandel can be blended intelligently with other varietals. There will be a few new cuvees in 2007, one of which had not yet been named when I tasted it, and another from the Booker and Denner Vineyards that is mostly Syrah. I gave it a provisional rating of (92-95). Trevisan said it may be called “The Widowmaker.” Tel. (805) 227-0790; Fax (805) 227-4868