L'Aventure, Côte a Côte, Paso Robles, California, 2020

Overview of the Wine
L'Aventure was founded in 1998 by a French winemaker, Stephan Asseo. After Stephan graduated enology school in Burgundy, the Asseo family bought their first estate, Domaine de Courteillac, in the Bordeaux area in 1982. Later, the family purchased additional properties: Chateau Robin and Chateau Fleur-Cardinale in Saint-Emilion. Stephan raised these properties to a level of great quality, while managing some other well-established domaines such as Chateau Guillot-Clauzel in Pomerol and Chateau Corbin in St Emilion.

Stephan saw in the New World a unique opportunity to expand his experience, while gaining more freedom in viticulture and vinification. He began by looking all over California for land, including Napa/Sonoma and Santa Barbara counties, but it was the terroir and climate of Paso Robles that impressed him the most.

L'Aventure is located on the west side of Paso Robles in the Willow Creek District. The 127-acre property with 57 acres planted, is comprised of multiple hills of various elevation and complex soils. Because of its proximity to the ocean, the vineyard has clear warm days and drastic cool nighttime temperatures which increases the time of the grape’s maturation cycle providing fruit that creates a more complex and balanced wine. Stephan’s choice of this lean terroir provides him with the fruit necessary to create wine with a good balance between alcohol and acidity. The resulting wines are full and rich yet well balanced and elegant. 

Grape / Blend
45% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 25% Mourvèdre

Origin
Paso Robles, California

100% Estate grown fruit from L’Aventure Vineyard.

98 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 
The 2020 Côte a Côte is a beautiful blend of 45% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 25% Mourvèdre and one of the most successful wines I tasted from the challenging 2020 vintage. Deep ruby-purple, it offers pure aromas of blackcurrant, boysenberry, tar and pipe tobacco, continually unfolding with each return to the glass. The full-bodied palate offers wave after wave of perfumed fruit and tremendous spicy accents. It's powerful yet harmoniously structured with powdery tannins and seamless acidity, and it offers a very long, detailed finish.

97 Points - James Suckling
I love the depth and the mineral quality of this. Dark cherries, black licorice, iodine, graphite, oyster shells and hot stones. Quite vertical yet broad, with super fine but present tannins. Long, seductive yet quite focused, too. A stunner from L’Aventure.

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
Blackberries, peppery herbs, graphite, iron, and liquid violet notes all emerge from the 2020 Cote A Cote, a pure, brilliantly textured, full-bodied blend based on 45% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 25% Mourvèdre. It has a touch of grippy tannins on the finish (which are common in the vintage), but it’s balanced and offers beautiful fruit as well as serious length. It's going to keep for 15 years or more. It's a gorgeous wine.

94 Points - Decanter
Floral and lifted on the nose, dark chocolate, violets and rose petals with sweet strawberries and pomegranates. This has a sticky side, balsamic touches but with herbal edges too. Thrilling with a lovely texture, you get the grip and pull from the fine but tense tannins, this has a purity an energy to it with excellent acidity. I like the direction and the push from start to finish. You get the California heat and the stewed strawberry fruit but there is also an elegance and energy to this where it doesn't feel overworked and still has freshness and a juicy appeal. Ageing 14 months in French oak (33% new, 36% one year old, 17% concrete and 15% amphora).

Product size: 750ml