L'Aventure
About L'Aventure
Founded 20 years ago by Stephan Asseo, this Paso Robles estate has benefited from its founders time in Bordeaux where he developed a penchant for elegantly powerful wine that displayed a refined personality. Jeb Dunnuck has even described L'Aventure as "undoubtedly one of the Central Coast's superstars and one of the references in California."
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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California | 1 | 96-98 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£779.09 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (96-98)The 2020s in general are terrific at this estate, and the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is another beauty. Including 5% Petit Verdot, it’s a structured, concentrated, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with plenty of pure cassis and graphite aromatics, building structure, and a deep, layered, incredibly impressive style. It’s going to need bottle age. |
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California | 1 | 95-97 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£846.90 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)The 2020 Cote a Cotes checks in as 45% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 22% Mourvèdre, with the balance Graciano and Viognier, that was brought up in equal parts barrel, concrete, and amphora. It’s a full-bodied, ripe, sexy wine offering fabulous dark fruits as well as subtle violet and orange blossom aromatics. The balance is spot on, it has terrific purity, and it’s another brilliant wine in the making. |
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|
California | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£899.86 |
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|
California | 1 | 97-99 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£656.26 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)Last of the 2016s from barrel, the 2016 Estate Cuvée is a classic blend of 52% Syrah, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Petit Verdot that’s brought up mostly in new French oak. It’s glass staining purple color is followed by a full-bodied, unctuous, seriously concentrated red that has building structure, a huge mid-palate and terrific notes of crème de cassis, pencil lead, tobacco leaf and graphite. The Cabernet really shows and this bruiser (although it stays graceful and lively) is going to require short term cellaring. |
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|
California | 1 | 100 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£570.02 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (100)The 2018 Estate Cuvee checks 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot brought up in 90% new French oak. Tasting like the straight Cab, yet with more sex appeal, it offers a huge nose of crème de cassis, white flowers, crushed stone, graphite, and crushed flowers. This carries to a full-bodied, gorgeously textured red with incredible balance, no hard edges, a thrilling mid-palate, and a great, great finish. It's going to benefit from 5-6 years of bottle age and keep for upwards of two decades or more. Hats off to winemaker Stephan Asseo on another incredible wine, as well as, I suspect the wine of the vintage. |
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|
California | 2 | 100 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£598.06 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (100)Pure perfection from Paso Robles, the 2019 Estate Cuvee checks in as 50% Syrah, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Petit Verdot that was raised in 81% new French oak. Incredible cassis and black berry fruits as well as violets, chocolate, graphite, and who knows what else emerges from the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a concentrated yet weightless mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. It’s more seamless and approachable than the more backward, structured 2018 and will have two decades of prime drinking. |
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|
California | 1 | 93 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£493.06 |
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Decanter (93)Tobacco, tar, dark chocolate, floral touches, bitter blood orange, scrubland herbs - so much going on the nose, really aromatic and expressive in a dark, sticky way. Gorgeously lifted and lively, full of bright and crunchy red fruits that you're just not expecting after the nose, this is direct but it has a pristine quality to it. Tannis are fine and the whole taste is just so clean. Juicy, mouthwatering and joyful, really bright and playful, I love the whole lifted tone, almost verging on tangy and sour but just keeps the depth. You get a bit of saltiness too on the finish. I like this a lot, especially the touch of metallic, iron-filing, blood on the finish. Characterful. The first vintage to use an optical sorted at harvest. Ageing 14 months in French oak (65% new and 35% in one year old). |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
California | 1 | 96-98 (JD) |
In Bond
£630.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (96-98)The 2020s in general are terrific at this estate, and the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is another beauty. Including 5% Petit Verdot, it’s a structured, concentrated, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with plenty of pure cassis and graphite aromatics, building structure, and a deep, layered, incredibly impressive style. It’s going to need bottle age. |
|||||||||
|
California | 1 | 95-97 (JD) |
In Bond
£686.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (95-97)The 2020 Cote a Cotes checks in as 45% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 22% Mourvèdre, with the balance Graciano and Viognier, that was brought up in equal parts barrel, concrete, and amphora. It’s a full-bodied, ripe, sexy wine offering fabulous dark fruits as well as subtle violet and orange blossom aromatics. The balance is spot on, it has terrific purity, and it’s another brilliant wine in the making. |
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|
California | 1 | - |
In Bond
£730.00 |
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|
California | 1 | 97-99 (JD) |
In Bond
£527.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)Last of the 2016s from barrel, the 2016 Estate Cuvée is a classic blend of 52% Syrah, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Petit Verdot that’s brought up mostly in new French oak. It’s glass staining purple color is followed by a full-bodied, unctuous, seriously concentrated red that has building structure, a huge mid-palate and terrific notes of crème de cassis, pencil lead, tobacco leaf and graphite. The Cabernet really shows and this bruiser (although it stays graceful and lively) is going to require short term cellaring. |
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|
California | 1 | 100 (JD) |
In Bond
£454.50 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (100)The 2018 Estate Cuvee checks 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot brought up in 90% new French oak. Tasting like the straight Cab, yet with more sex appeal, it offers a huge nose of crème de cassis, white flowers, crushed stone, graphite, and crushed flowers. This carries to a full-bodied, gorgeously textured red with incredible balance, no hard edges, a thrilling mid-palate, and a great, great finish. It's going to benefit from 5-6 years of bottle age and keep for upwards of two decades or more. Hats off to winemaker Stephan Asseo on another incredible wine, as well as, I suspect the wine of the vintage. |
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|
California | 2 | 100 (JD) |
In Bond
£478.50 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)Pure perfection from Paso Robles, the 2019 Estate Cuvee checks in as 50% Syrah, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Petit Verdot that was raised in 81% new French oak. Incredible cassis and black berry fruits as well as violets, chocolate, graphite, and who knows what else emerges from the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a concentrated yet weightless mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. It’s more seamless and approachable than the more backward, structured 2018 and will have two decades of prime drinking. |
|||||||||
|
California | 1 | 93 (DC) |
In Bond
£391.00 |
|||||
Decanter (93)Tobacco, tar, dark chocolate, floral touches, bitter blood orange, scrubland herbs - so much going on the nose, really aromatic and expressive in a dark, sticky way. Gorgeously lifted and lively, full of bright and crunchy red fruits that you're just not expecting after the nose, this is direct but it has a pristine quality to it. Tannis are fine and the whole taste is just so clean. Juicy, mouthwatering and joyful, really bright and playful, I love the whole lifted tone, almost verging on tangy and sour but just keeps the depth. You get a bit of saltiness too on the finish. I like this a lot, especially the touch of metallic, iron-filing, blood on the finish. Characterful. The first vintage to use an optical sorted at harvest. Ageing 14 months in French oak (65% new and 35% in one year old). |