2019 Avenger Paso has a medium ruby-purple color and aromas of cassis, cracked pepper, tar and mint chocolate. The full-bodied palate is grainy and fresh with a mineral-laced finish.

With notes of blackberry, dried flowers and wild berries, the 2015 The Avenger is a juicy, fruit-forward and full-bodied red blend, structured around fine tannins and juicy acids. While this is already quite generous and giving, it has the structure and energy to age for a few years too. It's a blend of 70% Syrah, 10% Petite Sirah, 10% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre.

The 2014 The Avenger was one of my favorite barrels samples from Chris. It reveals smokin' notes of cassis, blackberry, ground herbs, pepper and crushed flowers to go with a full-bodied, ultra-pure, fine and elegant feel on the palate. Its tannin quality is superb and while I'm sure it will drink nicely on release, it will also age.

Sporting a deep ruby/purple color, the 2012 Avenger is a thrilling blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre and 10% Grenache that has everything you could want from a Central Coast Rhone blend. Perfumed and complex on the nose, with vibrant black and blue fruits, violets, lavender, licorice and subtle vanilla bean, it flows onto the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, notable freshness and building tannin that comes through on the finish. Showing the supple, up-front nature of the vintage, yet with ample tannin, it should be better in another year, and shine over the following 4-5. Winemaker Cris Cherry continues to push the whole cluster and savory style in his wines, while not losing the core of fruit that the region is known for. These new releases all have rich, tannic profiles that benefit from air, and will be even better in another year or two. In addition, I was able to do a retrospective of Cris’s Garnacha and High Road James Berry Vineyard, but wasn’t able to get those reviews into this report. Those reviews will be published in separate article at a later date. Tel. (805) 238-7145; www.villacreekwine.com

The 2011 The Avenger is a blend of 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre. Very ripe, with plenty of red plum, melted licorice, baking spices and roasted herb showing on the nose, it starts out rich and decadent on the palate before firming up considerably on the mid-palate and finish, with big, chewy tannin. The structure just might be too much for the depth of fruit here so this will be one to watch as it evolves. Nevertheless, it’s certainly a solid bottle of wine, just not one I’d hide in the cellar for too long. If the tannin softens here, I’ll have underrated it. Drink 2014-2018. One of my favorite estates, Cris Cherry’s Villa Creek is located on the western side of Paso Robles, high up off Peachy Canyon Road. He continues to experiment with Rhone and increasingly Spanish (think Rioja and Priorat) varieties, as well as with varying amount of whole-cluster inclusion. The wines offer singular, unique profiles, with loads of flavor and character. Tel. (805) 238-7145; www.villacreekwine.com