First stop in Paso Robles (Saturday morning) was L'Aventure. First let me mention that we went to Foley Estate in Los Olivos on Friday, and found it to be hugely disappointing...I don't have anything good to say about their wines or their staff, so I won't say anything at all.

Molly pours the tastings at L'Aventure. Molly speaks 3 languages. Molly looks like Natalie Portman. Molly is a goddess. 96-98 pts

2002 Estate Syrah
Opaque, beautiful purple color. Flavors of minerals, blackberry, blueberry. Huge wine with big tannins. 92+ pts

2001 Zinfandel
Gobs of spicy fruit. Long finish, with fine grainy tannins. 91 pts

2001 Optimus
Candied red fruit nose, continuing on the palate. Wet stone and minerals join the melee. Long finish, bold tannins...Should be a long lived wine. 91 pts

2002 Estate Cuvee
Same awesome purple color as the Estate Syrah (there is a significant amount of Syrah in the blend). A more dry/elegant/restrained style. Flavors of blackberry and boysenberry, with a long, smooth finish. 91-92 pts

2002 Cotes a Cotes
Wow. Well balanced with bright red/black fruit and spice. Pleasantly acidic. This is a great, seamless wine. 93 pts

"...and cloaked with wine I'll tell you that you're great."

Sounds like a great stop. Getting me excited for our visit.

Thanks for the notes.

This place is high on my list of future visits.

Molly works which days of the week?

dog,

For my $$$, the best syrah out of California going today. The '99's are starting to show very well

A french touch for sure. Stephan knows where he is going!

Slaught, is L'Aventure's new tasting room now open?

Once ... in the wilds of Afghanistan, I lost my corkscrew, and we were forced to live on nothing but food and water for days. - W. C. Fields

Eric, they haven't opened the new tasting room yet. She (Molly) told us when it would be operational, but my mind was elsewhere so I don't recall

"...and cloaked with wine I'll tell you that you're great."

I just saw the RP scores on L'Aventure's current releases...these guys are blowing up.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon 91+
2002 Cote a Cote 93
2002 Estate Cuvee 94+
2001 Estate Cuvee 91+
2001 Optimus 94
2002 Syrah Estate 94

"...and cloaked with wine I'll tell you that you're great."

High scores indeed. We enjoyed these wines a lot when we visited in June, and was actually thinking of opening a Cotes a Cotes tonight.

I tasted the '01 Zin blind, in between another (younger) Zin and a Paso Syrah. It just didn't do much for me. It was undistinguished, plonky low-acid berry syrup. I was really surprised b/c all previous tastings of L'Aventure wines had impressed me. Verdict: OK to good