Accolades
JUST JUSTIN on the front lines
San Francisco Chronicle - January 2008
The Largest Competition of American Wines in the World!
Gold Medal - 2005 JUSTIFICATION
Gold Medal - 2005 Reserve Tempranillo
Wine Enthusiast - December 2007
Top 100 Wines of 2007: 93 Points - 2004 JUSTIN JUSTIFICATION
Jefferson Cup Invitational - December 2007
Certificate of Merit - 2004 ISOSCELES Reserve
Certificate of Merit - 2005 JUSTIFICATION
Leslie Sbrocco - Check Please! Bay Area - November 2007
Wine of the Week - 2005 JUSTIN SAVANT
Paso Robles, located on the central coast of California, is a rising-star wine region. Highly regarded for intense Zinfandels, the area is also producing unique blends. One such marriage of grapes is “Savant,” from the beautiful Justin winery. A combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, this polished, velvety red is full of rich flavors and smoky aromas. Drink now with rib roast or lamb shank, or if you have the patience, age it for five years or so.
Vines Magazine - Canada's Food and Wine Magazine - Harvest 2007
4 Stars - JUSTIN 2005 Syrah
The 2005 Syrah from JUSTIN has all the trademark richness and concentration of this Rhone varietal-centric California AVA. The fruit is ripe and black without slipping into jamminess, while retaining a fine measure of sweet wood spice and earthy complexity. The palate is soft and silky with ripe, seductive tannins and a long violet-scented finnish. This is a great example of New World Syrah, to be drunk now with mildly spicy barbeque spareribs or held for five to seven years.
4 Stars - JUSTIN 2005 SAVANT
Top Paso Robles producer JUSTIN is noted for its stellar red wine portfolio, produced in the winery’s consistently rich, fleshy house style. Any one is worth seeking out and trying – if you like it, chances are you’ll like them all. Its top of the line reds, JUSTIFICATION (a Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend) and ISOSCELES (Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Merlot), have gained a new sibling in the form of Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, SAVANT. Now in its second vintage, SAVANT presents the serious and savoury personality of Cabernet and the spicy personality of Syrah. The result is a beautiful red wine that has the unmistakable whiff of California about it: the scent of sun-ripened fruit and appealing, integrated spice. The spicy, concentrated fruit character of this wine is very attractive.
Feature by Weiss Media - Nov 2007
South Florida Business Journal Fine Wine Competition - October 2007
Gold medal - JUSTIN 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
The Wine Advocate - August 2007
90 points - JUSTIN 2004 SAVANT, Paso Robles
"Serious, complex, and profound is the 2004 Savant Proprietary Red, a blend of equal parts Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its deep ruby/purple hue is followed by aromas of spicy oak, sweet creme de cassis, smoke, espresso roast, and chocolate. Long, textured, medium to full-bodied, soft, and opulent, it can be enjoyed over the next 7-8 years." - Robert M. Parker, Jr.
California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition - June 2007
Best of Class - 95 points - GOLD medal - JUSTIN 2004 ISOSCELES
San Francisco International Wine Competition - June 2007
Gold medal - JUSTIN 2004 ISOSCELES
Gold medal - JUSTIN 2004 ISOSCELES Reserve
Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition - June 2007
Best of Class - Gold medal - JUSTIN 2004 ISOSCELES
Wine Enthusiast – April 2007
93 points – JUSTIN 2004 JUSTIFICATION, Paso Robles
“JUSTIN proves that Bordeaux can succeed in western Paso Robles, but interestingly, the wine is Cab Franc and Merlot, with no Sauvignon. Both varieties do well in cooler areas, and this wine does have good acidity and a rich earthiness suggesting butter-sauteed mushrooms with a splash of soy. An interesting, complex wine; a natural beauty to pair with food.” –S.H.
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine – March 2007
91 points – JUSTIN 2004 SAVANT, Paso Robles
“50% Syrah, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. As ripe and as weighty as the winery’s Syrah, this powerful, positively mouth-filling wine is far more concentrated with richness, ripeness and lavish oak than it is with discrete fruit or nuance. Its smells and flavors of caramel, vanilla and chocolate are laced with peppery spice and hints of smoked meat, and its very ripe, berry-like fruit powers past obvious latter-palate tannins. No shy flower this, it calls for drinking with meat on the bone and could do with five or more years in the cellar.”
Wine Spectator – Jan. 31st – Feb. 28, 2007
92 points - JUSTIN 2004 JUSTIFICATION, Paso Robles
“Impressive for its array of ripe, rich, intense flavors, its tight focus and its depth and concentration. Loads of currant, plum and blackberry fruit are front and center, showing off a hint of mocha-laced oak and ending with firm tannins. But the fruit glides through. Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Drink now through 2013. 2,000 cases made.” –J.L.
Wine Enthusiast – February 2007
On the Cover, by Chris Rubin, Interview with Jaime Pressly, Actress, “My Name is Earl”:
“’JUSTIN ISOSCELES changed my whole perception of wine’, she says.”
Decanter – February 2007
Wines of the Month: 4 Stars – JUSTIN 2004 JUSTIFICATION, Paso Robles
”Established in 1981, this family-owned winery specializes in Bordeaux blends. This cuvee is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Expressive aromas of blueberry and blackberry with roasted coffee. Full bodied with integrated tannins and bright acidity.”
Wine Spectator – June 15, 2006
91 points – JUSTIN 2002 ISOSCELES Reserve, Paso Robles
California’s New Frontier, by James Laube.
“Their Syrah shows notable improvement (the Paso Robles Reserve earned 93 and 92 points for the 2002 and 2001 vintages, respectively), but Bordeaux reds remain the focus. The 1997 JUSTIN ISOSCELES (95 points), a blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Cabernet Franc and Merlot, remains the highest-scoring Paso Robles wine to date.”
Where to Stay: The JUST Inn at JUSTIN Winery
“The JUST Inn stands our in rustic Paso Robles, for both its luxury and its idyllic location in the midst of the rolling JUSTIN vineyards, surrounded by oak-dotted hills. Décor here evokes a Victorian jewel box: roomy humpback leather armchairs and elevated queen-size canopy beds heaped high with pillows. Bathrooms are spacious. Flat-screen TVs and microwave ovens are in the rooms…”