2018 Stolpman Vineyards ‘Para Maria de los Tecolotes’ Red Blend Ballard Canyon Santa Barbara County

WE92  It’s hard to find a better wine for the price than this blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Petite Verdot. Blistered black-plum, charcoal and fresh boysenberry aromas kick off the nose, while the palate blends black pepper, boysenberry and smoke. It is a versatile table wine, as apt for tacos and barbecue as it is for prime rib and roast lamb.
WA90 The 2018 Para Maria de las Tecolotes, a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Petit Verdot, features bright scents of blackberries and blackcurrants with notes of tar, earth and loads of floral perfume. The medium to full-bodied palate is concentrated and wonderfully fresh, with a grainy frame and long finish. 3,800 cases produced.
Esatte Notes: 2018 Para Maria first seduces with wafting blueberry compote straight out of the bottle. Buffering the blueness lies a deeper chocolate malt below and then a fiery, spicy red energy above. The wine strikes an impressive breadth of tactile sensation from the rich and robust to a freshly cut edge – to me this is the whole point of combining elements into a red blend and when well executed like the 2018, the different elements launch the win