Jane Anson: 94 Punkte
"This is a lovely wine, with character and intensity. Bitter chocolate, blueberry, coffee, raspberry, sleek and powerful. Unfiltered and unfined. 33% new French oak for ageing, 19% amphora (moved away from entirely oak in 2015), Chloe Asseo director, Stephan Asseo owner and winemaker, from the Willow Creek district of Paso Robles." (07/2025)
Decanter: 94 Punkte
"Extremely floral on the nose, so perfumed and lively. Very expressive and open. Roses, iris, peony with black cherry and plum notes. Seductive and spiced, so smooth and juicy, this really is effortless. Lots of cherry, baked strawberry, blackcurrant and cooling blueberry fruit. Crystalline and pure, this is gorgeous, sapid and mouthwatering but elongated vertically where there’s layers of freshness, fruit and minerality. Some spiced and herbal aspects too. I love this, really excellent and so easy to like. Refined, plenty of character and confidence. Ends lifted and so long, really leaves a moreish aspect. Ageing 18 months; 33 one year old barrels, 33 new French oak, 19% amphora, 13% concrete with malolactic fermentation in barrels. No fining or filtering. 3% Graciano and 2% Viognier - the first time the blend includes white grapes - complete the mix." - Georgina Hindle (07/2025)
The Drinks Business: 96 Punkte
"(Paso Robles, Willow Creek District; 34% Grenache; 31% Syrah; 30% Mourvedre; 3% Graciano; 2% Viognier; 18 months aged in new and Y1 oak, concrete and amphora; 14.9% alcohol; tasted with Swann Dufeu from L’Aventure at CVBG; aged in amphora, concrete, new and one-year old French old barrels). Very Côte Rôtie in a way; but also very Châteauneuf du Pape – I hesitate between the two, or is it that the wine switches between the two? Janasse meets Jamet in Paso Robles! Raspberry; a little blackberry too; black pepper; a little plum skin. Plump, plush, yet impressively gracious for a vintage like this. Robust but refined. There’s a touch of dryness to the tannins, but at its core this is impressively glassy in texture." - Colin Hay (09/2025)
