2011 Akasha

Scott Hawley, whose full-time job is at Law Estate, started his own Torrin label back in 2005, sourcing most of his fruit from his own 30-acre vineyard that sits adjacent to the Booker vineyard. He makes the wines in his own facility in the new Tin City wine ghetto in Paso Robles with other young cutting-edge producers and has emerged as one of the region's top sources for consistently high-quality, full-throttle red wines. They aren't easy to find, though, as the waiting list continues to grow here and only a handful of markets are earmarked for wholesale distribution. That said, they're well worth the hunt for fans of other top-drawer Paso wineries like Saxum and Booker, to whose wines Hawley's often bear a striking resemblance.

Proprietor Scott Hawley has done a terrific job with this 2011s, all wines that capture the best of what was possible in the 2011 vintage. It's hard to say whether it is the personality of the year or simply a shift in winemaking, but the 2011s are less extracted than other recent vintages such as the 2010s. That is especially remarkable considering the spring frosts of 2011 decimated yields to as little as 0.75 tons per acre. The late harvest, which stretched into November, gives these wines much of their silkiness. I also tasted the 2012s from barrel. It is still very early, but my sense is that the 2012s play more on a single theme of pure richness than the more complete 2011s. Hawley's estate vineyard (once part of Booker), and the other sites he works with, including James Berry and Law, all yield deep, concentrated fruit on their own, so winemaking seems to be at its best when it doesn't get in the way too much. I couldn't help notice that the wines Hawley makes at Torrin are a bit more forced in style than the wines he makes at Law, where the fruit appears to be more untouched. Scott Hawlye is one of Paso's most passionate ambassadors, so it is great to see the 2011s come through so strong in this tasting.