Product Overview
Winemaker's Notes
"The 2023 Claude’s Cuvée offers notes of ripe red and black fruit alongside leather, pepper, and spice. 30% stem inclusion provides additional structure to the wine and the palate delivers a concentrated and seamless texture. Beautiful tannins in this wine suggest both immediate approachability and aging potential."
Varietal Composition: 52% Syrah, 27% Graciano, 13% Mataro, 8% Grenache
Appellation: Paso Robles Willow Creek District AVA
Vineyards: Terry Hoage Vineyard, G2 Vineyard
Fermentation: Co-fermented, 33% Stem Inclusion
Aging: 22 months French oak, 75% new
Winemaker (and owner): Don Burns
95 Points - Vinous
"The 2023 Claude's Cuvée is a total pleasure on the nose, with a cooling whiff of sweet smoke giving way to lavender pastilles, nuances of orange sorbet, then evolving into savory olive and crushed blackberries. It's silken in feel, with a distinctly saline core as zesty acidity propels tart wild berry fruits across the palate, all contrasted by a dark chocolate bitter tinge. This is grippy and crunchy, leaving the senses salivating, as notes of tart blackberry mingle with edgy tannins through the dramatically long finish. The 2023 Claude's Cuvée demands cellaring, yet it is packed full of potential. It's a blend of 52% Syrah, 27% Graciano, 13% Mataro and 8% Grenache." -EG, Apr/2026
94+ Points - Wine Advocate
"The 2023 Claude's Cuvée is a blend constructed around north-facing parcels, aiming for a more Old World-influenced expression of the Willow Creek District. It leads with an earth-driven, loamy and meaty nose with lifted, herbal accents as well as deep, rich black licorice and anise aromas. The palate is deep, dense and punchy, seamlessly transitioning into a pure, slow-moving finish that combines chalky, invigorating acidity with deep, rich flavors and powdery, assertive tannins. This merits a few more years in bottle to integrate its tannin structure and should be a pleasure to watch develop. It's a blend of 52% Syrah, 27% Graciano, 13% Mataro and 8% Grenache fermented with around 30% stem inclusion." -ML, 10/2/25
