2019 Derby Wine Estates District Fifteen 10 Red Paso Robles

Windy days, limestone soils, and 40-degree temperature swings are MAGIC for Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre—which is why Paso Robles’s Templeton Gap AVA is one of the best spots in California for the Rhône varieties. 

Superstars like Saxum, Linne Calodo, Clos Solène, and L’Aventure are grouped here, and they often fetch well over $100 for their wines. Today’s 2019 Derby Wine Estates’ District Fifteen 10 Red comes from the same prime terroir. It’s ruby-red, warm-fruited, and elegant, crafted by a winemaker with the iconic Mount Eden on his resumé—a true ringer for a supple Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 

“The 2019s stand out for their radiance,” wrote Eric Guido in Vinous, referring to Paso wines from the warm, dry harvest, and steady vintage—a year that Wine Spectator rated 95 points. 

This Châteauneuf-style blend of 72% Grenache, 13% Syrah, 6% Cinsault, 5% Mourvèdre and 4% Counoise is named after the address of the vineyard, 1510 Live Oak Rd, Paso Robles, California. Purchased in 2006, it’s the home vineyard of growers-turned-wine-producers Ray and Pam Derby. 

The vineyard’s location right on the border of the Templeton Gap and Willow Creek AVAs is the best of both worlds. The cooling breezes of the Templeton Gap, and the calcareous soils of Willow Creek work in tandem to produce a wine of richness with finesse. It’s guided to bottle by winemaker Sean Geoghegan, an alum of Mount Eden in Saratoga.

It’s a bold mouthful of wine, the kind that calls for a huge plate of ribs—OR a blind tasting competition with much more expensive Southern Rhône wines.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Acidity
• Tannin

• ABV 14.40%
• 30 mins
• Now – 2028
• 72% Grenache13% Syrah6% Cinsault5% Mourvèdre4% Counoise
• Serving temperature – 58°
• Cork