2016 Torrin Banshee
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Tasting notes
Vivid purple. A hugely perfumed bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, incense, mocha, exotic spices and smoky minerals. Juicy, alluringly sweet black raspberry, blueberry, fruitcake, cola and candied violet flavors steadily deepen with air while maintaining urgency. Seamless and penetrating on the extremely long finish, which shows excellent clarity and velvety tannins that make a late appearance.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
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A blend of 40% Syrah, 33% Mourvedre, 27% Grenache aged 22 months in 30% new oak, the 2016 The Banshee reveals a deep purple color as well as powerful notes of blackberries, charred meats, roasted herbs, and dark chocolate. Rich, full-bodied, and locked and loaded, it hits the palate with a seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. The 2016 vintage for Paso Robles was a beauty and Torrin’s Scott Hawley has certainly made the most of it. The 2016s are some of the finest wines in the vintage and you can’t go wrong with any of them. The 2017s also showed beautifully, and while I think they’re a small step back over the 2016s, they’re unquestionably brilliant wines in the making. The Hawleys also recently completed construction on a new winery off Peachy Canyon road, with their 2017s being the first vintage made at the new facility. In addition to the Torrin releases, the Hawleys also release a great lineup of Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs under their Lagom label, which I’ve also included here.