L’Aventure Winery – The Wine

Frenchman Stephan Asseo makes bold and exciting California wines at his L’Aventure Winery in Paso Robles. Yet his subtle European polish in winemaking gives his wines form and raciness that many peers in the sunshine state may find difficult to duplicate.

Like other wine producers in California’s Central Coast, he relies heavy on Rhone Valley-inspired grape types such as Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache. His highly successful Cote a Cote is made from the all three, and the 2009 is superb. I scored it 95 points.

However, I find his Bordeaux-inspired Estate Cuvee slightly better that the Cote a Cote. Perhaps it’s the cool combination of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. It reminds me of a favorite wine of mine from Baux de Provence called Domaine de Trevallon.

A few months ago, I tasted all the Estate Cuvees he made since the beginning at a tasting in Los Angeles – 2001 to 2009 – and I was convinced his last vintage in bottle may be his best ever. I rated the 2009 Estate Cuvee 96 points.

Check out all of my ratings of Stephen’s reds in my first tasting report on California’s Central Coast. Otherwise, enjoy the video and see what he has to say about his wines.