2017 L'Aventure Cuvée Estate

98 POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck

The flagship 2017 Estate Cuvée (49% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 21% Petit Verdot) spent 15 months in 90% new French oak, and I certainly blew the barre! review on this wine. It offers a brilliant bouquet of crème de cassis, crushed violets, lead pencil, chocolate, and a rocking sense of minerality. Deep, full-bodied, concentrated, and seamless on the patate, it's about as polished and sexy as they corne in the vintage.

96 POINTS

William Kelley - Wine Advocate

A blend of 49% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Estate Cuvée has a very deep purple-black color and explosive nose of black cherry and boysenberry preserves, crème de cassis, cedar, violet, burnt orange peel, baker’s chocolate, thyme, grilled meats, loamy earth and Indian spices. The silky, full-bodied palate is expansive, spicy and floral laced, with a firm but incredibly pixelated frame and great freshness on the long, dense finish. This merits another 3-5 years in bottle at least.

96 POINTS

Erin Brooks - The Wine Advocate

A blend of 49% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 21% Petit Verdot, the 2017 Estate Cuvée has a very deep purple-black color and explosive nose of black cherry and boysenberry preserves, crème de cassis, cedar, violet, burnt orange peel, baker’s chocolate, thyme, grilled meats, loamy earth and Indian spices. The silky, full-bodied palate is expansive, spicy and floral laced, with a firm but incredibly pixelated frame and great freshness on the long, dense finish. This merits another 3-5 years in bottle at least.

95 POINTS

Josh Raynolds - Vinous

Opaque ruby. Expansive smoke- and spice-accented aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, vanilla and incense are complemented by hints of licorice and potpourri. Bright and energetic on the palate, offering penetrating blackberry, bitter cherry, blueberry and violet pastille flavors that become sweeter and deeper with air. Polished, harmonious tannins give shape and grip to an extremely long finish driven by sexy floral and spice notes.

95 POINTS

Josh Raynolds - Vinous

Opaque ruby. Expansive smoke- and spice-accented aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, vanilla and incense are complemented by hints of licorice and potpourri. Bright and energetic on the palate, offering penetrating blackberry, bitter cherry, blueberry and violet pastille flavors that become sweeter and deeper with air. Polished, harmonious tannins give shape and grip to an extremely long finish driven by sexy floral and spice notes.

Jancis Robinson MW

49% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Petit Verdot. 2017 was generally a cooler vintage early on with heat coming on in early September that accelerated the harvest. ‘In the 2017s are the perfect proof that big wine in terms of concentration doesn’t necessarily mean the best wine. They are a touch less dense (but still big) than the 2016s with a lot of balance and elegance. In other words, I would describe my 2017 as “classic”. There is a lot of fruit, a lot of pleasure and while the wines are firm, they are also quite silky. The 2017s are super-expressive and very distinct, and while they are already approachable I can only imagine what a few more years in bottle will do.’ Stephan Asseo, a Bordelais who created L'Aventure in 1998, loves this vintage. Vineyard created from scratch, on limestone on the west side of Paso Robles. The Thiénot family have invested directly in L’Aventure in addition to their investment in CVBG. Harvest 4 September to 27 October.Very dark crimson. Thick and sweet. Rather comforting – a bit like a woollen blanket. And although the alcohol is monstrous, the balance seems ok. There is a little heat on the end but, compared with Clos Apalta for example, there is no green streak and the fruit/acid balance seems fine. Quite a surprise. Even if halfway to port. Score: 17/20