Back in 2019, on our “research” wine trip down the Salinas Valley’s River Road, we had a bit of a hard time finding the Smith Family tasting room at the Paraiso Estate Vineyard. With a fence and dirt roads ahead of us, we made a U-turn and found one of the most beautiful tasting room settings, with a breathtaking view of the Salinas Valley. Our first wine tasting of the day, we marched through the usual varietals – and then noticed cases of Zinfandel stacked behind us – with an awesome price. Made by the family’s son, Justin Murphy, this affordable Zinfandel could meet my wine class’ budget – so we took a case home for about $17/bottle!
About Irie Wines summarized from the Gold Medal Wine Club (an excellent writeup of Justin Murphy and Irie Wines): Justin is the grandson of the Smith Family founders, who were among the pioneers who planted grapevines in the Santa Lucia Highlands and, along with the Hahn family, helped that AVA earn its designation. He took a job at Courtside Cellars which sparked his true calling as a winemaker. He moved to Sextant wines and, in 2006, began producing his own wines. He knew he had to make a distinctive Zinfandel to separate himself from the rest of the Paso Robles pack. He produced 3 wines: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Rose. I believe he is no longer producing wines under the Irie label and is focusing on his winemaking role at Paraiso/Smith Family vineyard.
2012 Irie Zinfandel, Paso Robles AVA, 15.1% ABV, $25 (#201*)
About the 2012 Irie Zinfandel: “Irie is the label chosen by winemaker-in-training Justin Murphy, grandson of the vineyard’s founders. He makes his 2012 Zinfandel from grapes grown on the west side of Paso Robles, about an hour south of Soledad. There’s also a Petite Syrah, but 2013’s bottling has sold out, and what’s in the pipeline is not available for tasting.
“We’ve tasted a lot of Zin from Paso Robles. But something happens to these grapes on their short ride north, and the Irie Zin is like no other. This wine is also a definite reflection of its terroir—gently sloping western coastal hills, surrounded by grazing pastures with dry native grasses, very hot in the daytime, with a vigorous arid afternoon wind. Aged for 16 months in 25 percent new French Oak, this Zin just been released and is a very limited production of 335 cases.”
My Review: Very dark red, yet a bit transluscent. Blackberry and pepper on the nose. Raspberry, blackberry and cassis on the palate with white pepper and a little leather on the finish. Pairs nicely with both spicy and sweet foods. August 2020
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
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