Simon has always had an interest in New World Syrah/Cabernet blends and his hunch on one particular producer sent our buyer, Vicki, to source samples of L’Aventure from Paso Robles, California. This blend of grape varieties – which could be termed a 'sacrilege' against France’s Rhône and Bordeaux regions – creates wines with incredible concentration, purity and lift in the New World. Following our tasting in the office last week, we are pleased to offer a small parcel of the 2010 L’Aventure Optimus and the Estate Cuvée. The complex, pepper and spice bouquet of the Syrah blends seamlessly with the precision and structure of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.
The brainchild of Stephan Asseo, L’Aventure was founded in the 1980s; having established and influenced a number of French estates, Stephan was keen to step beyond the confines of the French appellation system. Stephan’s approach is fastidious and the output of his work is the equivalent to just one bottle of wine per vine across the varieties and vineyards. L’aventure covers approximately 50 hectares of hillside vineyards on the sunny, craggy slopes and chalky soils of Paso Robles – a patchwork of terroirs and altitudes providing the perfect palette from which to blend his wines. Influenced by the Pacific Ocean, cool temperatures at night provide high levels of natural acidity to the wines and fruit enjoys gentle ripening throughout a prolonged growing season. Wines reveal freshness and elegance coupled with a core of generous, luxuriant berry character. Having tasted the full range of L’Aventure’s wines, it is easy to see why such illustrious winemakers – including the Perrin family of Château Beaucastel – are drawn to the area; such is the clarity and ripeness of fruit without the headiness of some of California’s blockbuster wines.
At our tasting last week, we opened 2009 and 2010s from the range, which generally mirrored the difference in many European regions; the 2009 showed more powerful, dried fruit notes versus the lifted aromatic scent of the 2010 which exhibits great elegance and freshness. The Optimus 2010, a Syrah-dominated blend, is drinking well now. Provençal herbs and mint give way to a smooth and supple palate that brims with succulent cassis and blackberry. The Estate Cuvée 2010, which will take some cellaring, offers brooding layers of black fruit and spice character. The palate, led by Cabernet’s structure, will need time to unfurl and integrate with the intense, deep fruit core.
Below are the notes from the Wine Advocate’s Jeb Dunnuck:
L’Aventure Optimus 2010
£160 per six bottle case in bond
94 points, Jeb Dunnuck
Deep purple and glass staining, the 2010 L'Aventure Optimus, a blend of 55% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 18% Petite Verdot, is a perfumed, lavishly fruited effort that gives up notions of black currants, lead pencil, mint, tobacco, and violets to go with a full-bodied, soft, supple, and open knit palate feel. The purity here is exceptional, and the texture is pure silk; it is ready to go now, and should shine for 8-10 years. While some of the other cuvees shows a tad more depth, this is certainly the value play of the lineup and has loads of class.
Drinking 2014-2018
L’Aventure Estate Cuvee 2010
£285 per six bottle case in bond
97 points, Jeb Dunnuck
The 2010 L'Aventure Estate Cuvée is the estate’s flagship wine and is a blend of 42% Syrah, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 16% Petite Verdot. Awesome on the nose, with layers of black fruits, currants, cedar, eucalyptus, and sweet tobacco-like aromas all soaring from the glass, it flows onto the palate with a full-bodied, ethereal texture, no hard edges, and layers of sweet fruit. The most concentrated and rich of the lineup, it benefits from a decant, and will continue to thrill for 15+ years.
Drinking 2016-2025