August Ridge 2006 Paso Robles Sangiovese 4-Pack
$75.99 $140.32 46% off List Price
2006 August Ridge Sangiovese
CT link above

Winery website

Guess everyone is drinking wine tonight vs. buying. Love to hear some thoughts on this wine. Love Paso wines so may give this one a try.

Nothing in CellarTracker on this vintage (though it is there). Really nothing on any of the Sangiovese's...but yeah, I'm a sucker for PR as well, so what the hell...

The Sangiovese's I have had in the past have all been medium bodied with lighter fruit. Mostly cherry. I noticed that this has 9% CS blended in which would stiffen up the back end quite a bit. What was the thinking behind adding the CS rather than making this 100% varietal?

I know in the last 20-30 years the Italians have been doing it once their own laws were changed. I imagine the answer is because it simply makes a better wine.

cortot20 wrote:The Sangiovese's I have had in the past have all been medium bodied with lighter fruit. Mostly cherry. I noticed that this has 9% CS blended in which would stiffen up the back end quite a bit. What was the thinking behind adding the CS rather than making this 100% varietal?

Short answer: to make a better wine! Sangiovese tends to be a little wimpy mid-palate so that's why I put in the Cab Sauv. I'm also building a bigger bodied wine than the typical lighter, fruity Sangioveses common in CA. The difference between Chianti and Brunello...

I know in the last 20-30 years the Italians have been doing it once their own laws were changed. I imagine the answer is because it simply makes a better wine.

Sorry about the mixed up message above -- trying to figure this board out! John, ARV Winemaker

Also, by the specs the PH seems to be a little on the low side. TA isn't particularly high either. Does this come across as at all flabby? I prefer my wines a little zippier.

GREAT CATCH! That got posted up there backwards. pH 3.61 / TA .71.

Your comment took me quite by surprise because it is nothing like a flabby wine. It's got a great acid structure which is what has it work so well with tomato sauces. Let call Neil to see if we can get that fixed!

That was my bad... I sent Woot the numbers mixed up! Apologies to all! John, ARV Winemaker

Hi John, is pretty much a with food only wine or does it stand up on its own? Is this a lighter medium bodied wine like traditional Italian wines or does it have more fruit with CS grape added?

This one is Italian style with a full body -- so it is sort of halfway between. My goal is to give a taste of the CA climate with the structure and style of Italy. The fruit is throughout and presents as dried cherries, dried plums with spices and pepper rising in the mid to finish. I rarely drink wine by itself -- usually with a handful of nuts or a chunk of cheese -- although I think this one stands well by itself. Does that answer your question? John, ARV Winemaker

augustridge wrote:This one is Italian style with a full body -- so it is sort of halfway between. My goal is to give a taste of the CA climate with the structure and style of Italy. The fruit is throughout and presents as dried cherries, dried plums with spices and pepper rising in the mid to finish. I rarely drink wine by itself -- usually with a handful of nuts or a chunk of cheese -- although I think this one stands well by itself. Does that answer your question? John, ARV Winemaker

Yes it does! Tnx

So all you Wooters out there know... Right now, as in RIGHT now we are crushing ~3 tons of Cab Sauv and ~8 tons of Nebbiolo. While you sit back and enjoy drinking that 2006 Sangiovese ask me any questions you want -- while I work! Salute! John, ARV Winemaker

Glad you liked it. I wouldn't have missed this for (almost) the world!

neilfindswine wrote:We'll see if we can update the stats, in the mean time, I can say that we tasted this at the office Thursday night, and it was a nice sipper. I agree that it would go well with a tomato sauce pasta dish.

Thanks for joining us today John!

Notes.......Anyone.

Cesare wrote:August Ridge 2006 Paso Robles Sangiovese 4-Pack
$75.99 $140.32 46% off List Price
2006 August Ridge Sangiovese
CT link above

Winery website

On Monday, November 5th, we will probably be celebrating Cesare's 1000th TREAT!.

Are we doing anything special for this??? Will the winewoot! logo incorporate a little teeny tiny Cesare face in one of the "O"s???

I, personally, will raise a glass and toast to this WG (Wine Genius)!

neilfindswine wrote:There were 18 or so Wooters there- someone must have taken notes! I was busy pouring and yapping. I found it to be balanced and subtle. Not too big. It wanted some food, thus my aforementioned pasta sauce comment. Sorry I didn't take notes. I think I poured 20 wines in all.

This one was tasted blind originally at WCC. It was supposed to be a pure varietal (NEIL!!!). It has the good acid of a Sangiovese but with a significantly darker flavor profile than I typically associate with the varietal probably due to the cab added. Think plum, the ones with black skin and light flesh, not overripe so it still is acidic.

Nothing complicated, sound wine.

cortot20 wrote:Notes.......Anyone.

Had this at the SoCal woot gathering today.

Red, but with definite orange and brown tinting. Nose of oak, dirty strawberry, and baking spices.

Medium bodied, with cranberries, tart cherries and a lot of pepper/spices, which others described as heat from the alcohol. Well integrated tannins and good acid make this very food friendly. Short to medium finish with more than a little pucker power.

Overall, well-liked by our group of tasters.

merbill wrote:Had this at the SoCal woot gathering today.

Red, but with definite orange and brown tinting. Nose of oak, dirty strawberry, and baking spices.

Medium bodied, with cranberries, tart cherries and a lot of pepper/spices, which others described as heat from the alcohol. Well integrated tannins and good acid make this very food friendly. Short to medium finish with more than a little pucker power.

Overall, well-liked by our group of tasters.

Yeah, and didn't you end up with what was left int he bottle...? This tasted rather better than what I had expected, based on comments here. Perhaps a little bit on the hot/spicy side, but should do well with food and not just the munchies we had.

rjquillin wrote:Yeah, and didn't you end up with what was left int he bottle...? This tasted rather better than what I had expected, based on comments here. Perhaps a little bit on the hot/spicy side, but should do well with food and not just the munchies we had.

Why, yes. Yes I did. I'm sipping it now, and still enjoying it. At the gathering, I didn't know it had 9% Cab, but I definitely think that helped make the wine better than we expected.

cmaldoon wrote:This one was tasted blind originally at WCC. It was supposed to be a pure varietal (NEIL!!!). It has the good acid of a Sangiovese but with a significantly darker flavor profile than I typically associate with the varietal probably due to the cab added. Think plum, the ones with black skin and light flesh, not overripe so it still is acidic.

Nothing complicated, sound wine.

Been moving stuff all day, so I'm late to the party. My notes almost perfectly match cmaldoon's. Definitely more towards the plum end, which is not my normal association with Sangio, but a nice wine to drink and nicely balanced.