2019 Oveja

Neil Collins has made his name at his day job, producing some of Paso Robles’ most elegant wines at the iconic Tablas Creek Winery, but this, his personal and family project that he launched way back in 1996, has only recently been garnering the attention that its wines deserve. The focus here is on working with dry-farmed vineyards from Paso Robles’ limestone-rich west side, which usually means old vines in this region. The work in the cellar is decidedly hands-off, with native yeasts the rule and minimal to no new oak used. This is always quite an eclectic, even quirky set of wines that changes from year to year depending on the vintage and, more importantly, the whims of Collins and, now, his son Jordan. Late and library releases are standard operating procedure here and I was able to revisit the 2014 Oveja Negra, which is just beginning to shed its fruity baby fat and has picked up some intriguing savory herb character as well as the faintest hint of smoked meat. I’ve scored it at 92 points twice, in past articles, but now I’d peg it at 93, with a good amount of upside still.