We learned the hard way that, when your winery allocation includes a library wine, then you really should drink it. With that in mind, we have been combing our stock for must-drink wines and found a bunch of Parsonage that needed to be opened. My last post about Parsonage wines was in August here: https://decantingmonterey.com/parsonage-showcases-its-powerful-wines-to-the-monterey-aws/. Since then, we have been to their tasting room in Carmel Valley Village to taste new releases and also sampled quite a few library wines from our own collection.
Years ago, Parsonage bottles a Syrah from the Carmelstone section of their vineyard. I believe they told me that they no longer get enough fruit from the Carmelstone lot to bottle it separately. It was some of the finest Syrah I had ever tasted. We found 2 bottles of the 2014 vintage in our private collection – they were enjoyed greatly and are sadly gone. That might be the end of Carmelstone for us. I do notice on their website that they have a couple of vintages of this wine in 5 liter bottles – a bit out of my size and price range, but it is tempting…
Today, I am presenting 9 Parsonage wines – a few new releases and a lot of Library wines. Only two are a repeat – the 2019 Parsonage Cyrano and the 2016 Rocco Reserve Syrah. I walked into the tasting room in September and found Bill Parsons and the staff engaged in an interesting exercise: how does aeration affect the Cyrano. I got to play! So I am sharing that with you. And the smoke-tainted Rocco is still an intriguing bottling – one I recognized immediately when playing mystery wine – worthy of an update.
I’ve presented Parsonage to you in several prior posts and won’t repeat about them here (just type “Parsonage” in the search bar to see them all). You can check out their website here: https://www.parsonagewine.com/. Winery notes come from their tasting sheet or website, or from the winery direct to me, as usual. Any errors are mine and mine alone.
2019 Parsonage Cyrano Red Blend, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $28 (#796) 70% Merlot, 30% Syrah
Winery Notes: “Our versatile red table wine easily pairs with a variety of different foods. We think it goes especially well with pizza and spaghetti with red sauce. This vintage is full bodied. A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Syrah. Rich, ripe and voluptous. The Cyrano is one of our best sellers.”
My Review: Stumbled into a side by side tasting of aerated and un-aerated Cyrano. Un: Plum and spice on the finish. Aerated: Slightly more ruby color (call me crazy), much richer palate and smoother finish, less spice. Aeration amplified the flavors! September 2022
2019 Parsonage BDL, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $44 (#877)
Winery Notes: “The BDL (originally named the Bordelais) is our Bordeaux-style blend with a rapturous bouquet of wildflowers, exotic spice, and a broad spectrum of ripe red, blue and dark berries. A lot of complexity and beauty here. The round, vibrant palate shows off the rich berry fruit of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot blend. The fruit and the spice join together at the finish to force me to cry out, DELICIOUS!!!.”
My Review: Pretty ruby in color. Coca cola on the nose. This is a very tasty vintage of the BDL, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. October 2022
2019 Parsonage Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast AVA, 15% ABV, $48 (#878)
Winery Notes: “The nose is marked dramatically by the scent of violets and spice wrapped in black cherry compote. The palate flavors are blackberry, black cherry, black currant, and dark plum with just a hint of cassis. This medium-plus-body beauty is harmoniously balanced with ripe and supple tannins showing off on the delightfully lengthy finish.”
My Review: This wine was a very pleasant surprise. It comes from Russell Joyce’s vineyard in Paicines. Very smooth, juicy and tasty. We took a couple of bottles home! October 2022
2012 Parsonage Tanner Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $125 (#879)
Winery Notes: “Our biggest cab has a broad nose of huckleberry, horehound licorice, black cherry, cassis and a hint of pepper. The palate is fully structured (but not stridently so like a big tannicky Napa cab) with fully ripened tannins that lead to a smooth, rounded finish.”
My Review: Rich dark ruby in the glass. Blackberry, dark cherry and chocolate on the nose. Smooth dark berries and cedar on the palate. Super delicious. Excellent! August 2022
2012 Parsonage Dario Reserve Merlot, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $125 (#880)
My Review: Inky in the glass. Bouquet of rich, dark jammy fruit, sharp licorice, alternating with sulfur. The fruit and sulfur continue to alternate onto the heavy palate with a tart cherry and tobacco finish. We had a long discussion about this wine and think we should have decanted it and opened it way earlier! August 2022
2008 Parsonage Dario Reserve Merlot, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $125 (#881)
My Review: Dark in the glass. Beautiful nose of dark fruit – like cassis. Palate has notes of plum, prune, and cassis with a hint of sulphur. November 2022
2016 Parsonage Rocco Reserve Syrah, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $80 (#89)
Winery Notes: “This is our flagship wine and what we’re known for. It’s what our dinner guests ask for when they come to visit. The Rocco is a big red wine to pair with steak or anything grilled or barbecued. We get brambleberry, grilled game, mocha, umami and spice. This wine is delicious now but could be aged for years and years.” 150 cases were produced. All neutral oak was used to mitigate smokiness – brilliant.
My Review: Inky. Big nose of dark fruit, alcohol, sweet tobacco and licorice (a bit of barnyard). Tons of rich, jammy, dark fruit cloaked in smoke on the finish. I recognized it right away as a Rocco. Still delicious despite the smoke taint. Probably one of the best 2016 Monterey smoke-tainted wines out there. September 2022
2014 Parsonage Carmelstone Syrah, Carmel Valley AVA, 15% ABV, $125 (#882)
My Review: Cinnamon and berry on the nose. Juicy, smooth, rich palate of intense berries and cinnamon spice. I am so sad we opened both bottles and it is gone. November 2022
2015 Parsonage Xandro Reserve, Carmel Valley, 15% ABV, $90 (#883) Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon blend
My Review: Dark ruby in the glass. Dark berries on the nose. Very delicious warm fruit. Scrumptious! May 2022
Parsonage is open for tastings by reservation only every day – click here for the details. You can obtain their wines directly from the winery here or at their tasting room located at19 E Carmel Valley Road in Carmel Valley Village.
© Decanting Monterey 2023
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