Lopai Cellars, Heliotrope, Willow Creek, Paso Robles, California, 2019

Overview of the Wine
Hi. I'm Brian Lopez.
My dad Paul and I grew up here. Our family has ties to San Luis Obispo county going back to at least 1826. In fact, I graduated from Templeton High School just a few miles away, on the same street as this vineyard. We know this soil, the smell of the air, and the feel of the coastal breeze that graces our vines every afternoon.

Here on the west side of the Willow Creek District in the Paso Robles AVA, 10.5 miles from the pacific ocean, that coastal breeze rewards us with balanced acid, tannins and color that make our site and wines distinct. Not just in the region but even from our neighbors. The temperature difference every day is about 10 to 25 degrees cooler than downtown Paso Robles. And overnight, up to another 10 degrees between the top and bottom of the vineyard! We experience dramatic micro-climates, even within our 150ft elevation change.

We're committed to farming the highest quality grapes, using the least amount of water we possibly can, organically. Pulling from my background in software engineering and technology, I'm developing a system to monitor water usage on our vineyard, down to each specific block of vines. This ensures each block gets the exact amount of water needed and greatly reduces excess use of this precious resource we share with our neighbors.

Organic.

Grape / Blend
63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Mourvèdre and 3% Cabernet Franc

Origin
Paso Robles, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes

Aroma: Dominated by lavender and violets, followed by blackberry, boysenberry, spice, clove, game, baked earth, and fired amphora.

Taste: Warm palate, with leather, graphite, meat, game, violets, and black pepper. The tannins are supple, evolved, and well-integrated, contributing to an expansive and inviting mouthfeel.

95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
Bloody black and blue fruits, iron, leafy herbs, toasted spices, and dried tobacco all shine in the 2019 Heliotrope, a rocking blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Mourvèdre, and a little Cabernet Franc. It's beautifully balanced, has a ripe, lush mouthfeel, beautiful, velvety tannins, and a great finish.

95 Points - Wine Enthusiast
This eye-opening, Jumilla-inspired blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Mourvèdre and 3% Cabernet Franc is better than the sum of its parts, aromas of mint, root beer and charred black plum lead from the nose into a lavish, pleasantly earthy palate of baked blackberry, blueberry, and dusty leather.

91 Points - Vinous
The 2019 Heliotrope is distinctly savory with peppery herbs and dried roses complementing rum-soaked black currants. It's silky smooth with cooling acidity and an elegant wash of ripe red and black fruits that find contrast through the onset of edgy tannins towards the close. It finishes structured with a bitter twang of crunchy blackberry and cocoa that slowly fade.

Product size: 750ml