Justin Isosceles 2001

Ahhhh Fridays. The day I reserve to pull out something from the cellar that is a cut above. No more $3 wines for me tonight, baby!

I am planning to have some ravioli in red sauce so Cabernet came to mind as I was going down to the cool chill of the cellar. It's not often that I think of Cabernet to have with dinner. The need for big honking cuts of meat or plates of deep red tomato sauce are needed to complement a good Cab. And that's not something I have very often. At least not at home. I find the local restaurants do a better job at both. So for "good wine night" (not that whatever it is you are having is bad...) I often go for Pinot Noir, or Zin, or Syrah, or... Well you get the picture.

But tonight as I was scrounging around in the Cabernet section, I pulled out a bottle of Justin Isosceles. I used to be in the Justin wine club, the Justin Wine Society back when, and the Isosceles was one of those wines that they offered, as I recall, to members.

The 2001 version of this wine is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot. An unusual, but interesting combination in the right hands. At 15% alcohol, it is not a baby but lower than many reds coming from the Paso Robles area, and indeed lower than some Zins coming from the Sonoma area (16.5%!!). If you're not particularly up on the Paso Robles area wines, you should take some time to become acquainted. From the big robust, (and expensive) Zinfandel of Turley Wine Cellars, to the balanced, elegant whites from Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles producers have found a niche in winemaking that comes from ripe grapes with high sugar content and robust flavors that fruit grown in the valley makes.

The 2001 Isosceles is a good example of this area's better producers. This unfiltered, yet wholesomely clear wine, is big, fruity, toasty, stuff. Deep purple in color with nice legs on the glass, the wine exhibits rich Cabernet sauvignon notes, with overtones from the Franc to soften and round out what most likely would have been a tannic monster without the addition of Franc and Merlot.

It's not always an easy wine to obtain, and the current vintage is the '03 which is sold out. (Here comes the '04!) And at $57.50 it is not cheap. But when you are looking for something different and delicious, the Isosceles can work.

Be forwarned, the website has music, so you might want to turn of the speakers before you surf on over there. And while the winery is in beautiful countryside, and is a monument to the owners, the inclusion of an Inn on the property, named the Just Inn, (shoot me now!) the tasting room is a strange combination of... well tasting room and hotel check in counter. Couples in love mingle at the entrance with couples inebriated. Hmmmm....

Just remember that big wines may take time to reach maturity. Ok. It's Paso Robles, so it's not a long time. But give the reds from the area at least a couple of years to integrate into something nice. Young, the wines are just not that much fun. I could say the same for Ridge Vineyards wines, but I won't. At least not right now....

May your wine be wonderful and your glass full.