2023 Clos Solene Hommage A Nos Pairs Reserve
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Tasting notes
The 2023 Hommage à Nos Pairs is distinctly savory in the glass, blending green peppercorns with olive tapenade, crushed violets and blackberries. This is round and soothingly soft on the palate, with mineral-encased wild berry fruit complicated by a tinge of autumnal spice. A cascade of lavender melds with sour citrus through the long, structured finish, as hints of currant fade. The 2023 is a classy co-ferment of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier.
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Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Eric Guido, Vinous
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A blend of 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier from the Clos Solène estate, Hoyt and G2 vineyards, the 2023 Hommage à nos Pairs Reserve showcases the textbook bright, beaming ripe fruit profile typical of western Paso Robles, supplemented with floral and spice notes that gain intensity with time in the glass. The palate is rich, velvety and concentrated, transitioning into a bright, chalky finish supported by a deft core of new-oak flavors. This feels quite marked by its élevage at this early stage, and I suspect it will benefit from another year or two in bottle to congeal.
Coming 70% from the estate's old vines as well as the G2 and Hoyt vineyards, the 2023 Hommage A Nos Pairs is based on 97% Syrah and 3% Viognier that was destemmed and is resting in barrel. This bigger, richer, classic Paso wine offers blackberries, lavender, game, pepper, and beautiful minerality that all define the aromatics. It's medium to full-bodied and concentrated, with a pure, layered, graceful mouthfeel, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. One of the top talents in Paso Robles, Guillaume Fabre worked at L’Aventure before launching Clos Solène in 2007. About seven years ago, he and his wife Solène bought a thirty-acre limestone site on Willow Creek Road at roughly 1,300 feet; it is farmed organically, and a new cave system under the property is nearly finished. Estate fruit now anchors the lineup, but it is supplemented by parcels from James Berry, G2, Hoyt, and Bien Nacido in Santa Maria Valley. The wines span the Roussanne-based Hommage Blanc, Grenache-led El Toro and Harmonie, Syrah-focused Hommage à Nos Pairs and Bien Nacido Cuvée Jean, the Cabernet-driven L’Insolent, the mixed variety Fleur de Solène, and the barrel selection Mon Millésime. Reds generally age 16-22 months in varying levels of new French oak. These are classic, impeccably made wines, rich yet structured, with seamless textures and beautiful overall balance, and Clos Solène is becoming a reference point for age-worthy wines from the region.