A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, the 2015 Willow Creek Cuvée reveals notes of ripe black fruits, chocolate, licorice and rich soil. On the palate, it's full-bodied, plush and ample, with a generous core of ripe fruit and some firm, chewy tannins that assert themselves on the finish, depressing my score.

I loved the 2014 Willow Creek Cuvee (no surprise, it's a year in, year out favorite), and this vibrant purple colored beauty is made from 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah. It was fermented with 75% whole clusters and raised in 25% new French oak puncheons and barrique. This voluptuous, sexy wine has fine tannin, a rich, layered texture and medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of blackberries, smoked herbs, licorice and wild flowers. It's a hedonistic wine that delivers on the pleasure scale.

Made from 70% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah, the 2012 Willow Creek Cuvee is an up-front, perfumed and sweetly fruited effort that carries a serious wallop of tannin on the back end. Showing pretty mulled red fruits, licorice, toasted spice, violets and hints of dried flowers, it has medium to full-bodied richness, a silky, layered texture and high, slightly chewy tannin on the finish. I think the tannins will integrate nicely here with another year in bottle, but this will be something to watch going forward. Winemaker Cris Cherry continues to push the whole cluster and savory style in his wines, while not losing the core of fruit that the region is known for. These new releases all have rich, tannic profiles that benefit from air, and will be even better in another year or two. In addition, I was able to do a retrospective of Cris’s Garnacha and High Road James Berry Vineyard, but wasn’t able to get those reviews into this report. Those reviews will be published in separate article at a later date. Tel. (805) 238-7145; www.villacreekwine.com

Superb, the 2011 Willow Creek Cuvee checks in as a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre, fermented with 40% whole cluster, which was aged in 40% new French oak. Ripe and sexy, with decadent blackberry, black raspberry, toasted spices, licorice and dried stem-styled aromas, it is meaty and chewy on the palate, with full-bodied richness, excellent mid-palate depth and ripe tannin. It’s impressive and will have upwards of a decade of longevity. Drink now-2021. One of my favorite estates, Cris Cherry’s Villa Creek is located on the western side of Paso Robles, high up off Peachy Canyon Road. He continues to experiment with Rhone and increasingly Spanish (think Rioja and Priorat) varieties, as well as with varying amount of whole-cluster inclusion. The wines offer singular, unique profiles, with loads of flavor and character. Tel. (805) 238-7145; www.villacreekwine.com

The 2010 Willow Creek Cuvee is another striking wine from Villa Creek. Even with the presence of 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre, this Grenache-based blend comes across as lighter than the Garnacha. Dark red cherries, plums and smoke flow through to the intense, layered finish. The Grenache and Syrah components were raised in French oak puncheons (50% new), while the Mourvedre was fermented with 50% whole clusters and aged in standard French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Villa Creek is one of my favorite wineries in Paso Robles. The wines are bold, exuberant and bursting with the essence of everything that makes Paso such a compelling region. Tel. (805) 238-7145