L’Aventure Côte a Côte, Paso Robles 2019

Grade: A

If you read our post about the Shafer Relentless, then you already know that we had a celebratory wine dinner with our friend, the sommelier from Newport Stephen Brumble, to toast to tests successfully completed: Bart and Katie’s certified sommelier exam, and Stephen’s WSET level 3 exam. In addition to drinking the Shafer that night, we also drank this Côte a Côte from Paso Robles. As Bart said, after pausing to stare at it lovingly for a few moments, “That’s a good wine right there.” Profound. This is a GSM red blend, standing for Grenache (34%), Syrah (34%), and Mourvèdre (32%). This is the common blend from Southern Rhône, and in fact, the original winemaker for this vineyard moved to Paso Robles from the Rhône Valley. This is a wine that gives you red fruit like strawberries and raspberries, but it’s also a little earthy and even smells a little meaty (not in a weird way, trust us). It’s a complex, great wine to really drink and think about. The Cabernet Sauvignon lovers among our group that night really loved this one. It was also Bart’s favorite of the night! This is a special occasion wine, and it definitely lives up to that. Another surprising find from Paso Robles!

Food pairing idea: Grilled, sautéed meats

In a nutshell:

The wine: A

The price: $110 at Jacob Liquor

Would we buy it again: for a special occasion, yes