2016 Torrin Tsundere

The 2016 Tsundere is the only wine to includes any Bordeaux varieties and is 39% Syrah, 27% Tannat, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Grenache, all from the Will Creek District of Paso Robles. Smoky black cherries, blackberries, leafy herbs, cedar, and some meatiness and tobacco notes all emerge from this ripe, full-bodied, sexy yet incredibly elegant blend. It should be reasonably approachable on release, yet I suspect it will benefit from short-term cellaring. This report looks at the 2015s from bottle and the 2016s from barrel from the incredibly talented Scott Hawley. While these wines were all made at their Tin City location just south of Paso Robles, they’ve started work on a new cellar located off Peachy Canyon, and I suspect the 2019s will be the first wines made at their new facility. Looking at the wines reviewed here, the 2015s are some of the finest wines to date from Hawley, and they show the classic, focused, straight character of this vintage nicely, while still packing ample depth and richness. His 2016s are slightly more opulent and sexy, and when all is said and done, might be even better. In addition to his Paso Robles releases, Scott releases two Pinot Noirs and a Chardonnay under his Lagom label, which are listed below. If you haven’t heard of Torrin, this is a bandwagon you need to get on.