2011 Caparone Aglianico Paso Robles
Community Tasting Note
DaveZack Likes this wine:
Tuesday, January 19, 2016 - I got this bottle (actually an entire case, which is how I buy all my wines from Caparone (or Cap as I refer to them)) in December of 2014 after returning from a road trip visiting friends in Sacramento.
All of Cap’s wines are incredibly food-friendly, herbaceous, well-balanced with incredible depths of flavors, and have the structure to age for decades.
This classic/noble Italian varietal is always good from Cap. This particular vintage is sharper and more tannic than other recent vintages (two nights ago I had a 2011 Pinot Noir from Windward, not exactly super close to Caparone but not terribly far either; that Pinot was easily the sharpest, most tannic, entirely red-fruited Pinot I had ever had from Windward; evidently the predominant characteristics of Westside Paso Robles 2011 vintage wines are red-fruited, sharp, and tannic elements). That characteristic is also obvious in the wine’s bouquet.
Even though the wine pours typically dark for a red Paso wine, the flavor profile is 99% red-fruited, showing elements of tart and sour cherries, raspberries, and red currants. Typically for pretty much all of Cap’s estate-grown varietals, there is a mountain of herbaceousness in the flavor profile as well, especially dried savory herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, and Herbs de Provence. Also typical for all of Cap’s wines, this wine has amazing structure in the form of low alcohol, crisp acidity and food-friendly tannins, along with the ability to age and mature beautifully for decades. The final (and best?) element of this wine is also typical for Cap’s wines: amazing depth-of-flavors and complexity, along with any and all elements being harmoniously integrated that allow this wine to be trillions of lightyears-worth food friendly. All of Cap’s wines are unfined and unfiltered (and hand-racked), which keeps 100% of the vines, grapes, soil, and terrior in each and every bottle.
Also typical for Cap wines, this wine is amazingly food-friendly, thanks to its structure and depth of flavors. I paired this wine with a somewhat fatty roast pork (cooked alongside with onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and carrots) and this wine paired PERFECTLY with the pork. This wine would also pair well with just about any/all fatty meat protein dishes, such as prime rib, a porterhouse steak, etc.
All of Cap’s wines are gorgeously food-friendly, with AMAZING structure, depth-of-flavors, complexity, and ageability. Their estate-grown Zinfandel and Italian varietals are ALWAYS fantastic. They source their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the world-famous Bien Nacido vineyard a little bit north of Santa Barbara; those wines are also fabulous. Dave and Marc Caparone know what the heck they’re doing. Year-in and year-out they ALWAYS make fabulous wines at an amazing price on a price-to-quality ratio. If I had Bill Gates or Warren Buffet’s money (of if I had won that recent PowerBall lottery), I would have dozens of cases of Cap’s wines in my wine cellar.
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