2018 Creativity

York Mountain Vineyard, Paso Robles
95% Viognier | 5% Roussanne | Willow Creek District
Fermented cool in French oak barrels
Aged nine months sur lie French oak barrels (69% new)
Bottled June 13th, 2019 |  Released Spring 2020
73 cases produced

Vinous | 94 
Bright straw-gold. Penetrating aromas of fresh citrus and orchard fruits, ginger and violet are complicated by an emerging mineral element. Juicy and concentrated on the palate, offering sharply delineated Anjou pear, nectarine, orange pith and floral flavors that show excellent clarity and mineral drive. The floral and mineral notes carry strongly through an incisive finish that shows firm tension and energetic lift. -December 2020 (Josh Raynolds)

2017 Creativity

Catapult Vineyard, Paso Robles
100% Syrah | Willow Creek District
Fermented in stainless steel and oak tanks
Aged 13 months in French oak regular and mid-sized barrels (37% new) and then 5 months in concrete tank
Bottled June 13th, 2019 |  Released Fall 2020
443 cases produced

Jeb Dunnuck | 96
The 2017 Creativity is a ripe, exuberant, massive beauty delivering a serious bouquet of blueberries, ground pepper, violets, and cured meats. It’s a big, concentrated blockbuster on the palate and has ripe, sweet tannins, beautiful balance, and a great finish. It doesn’t pull any punches yet stays seamless, silky, and incredibly drinkable. -September 2020 (Jeb Dunnuck)

Wine Advocate | 95+
The 2017 Creativity is made of 100% Syrah from the Catapult vineyard. Winemaker Jordan Fiorentini says, “In 2017, we did a triage pick for Syrah, to take off the clusters that had been hurt by the heat wave. It cooled off dramatically afterward, and we were able to let the rest hang.” Deep ruby-purple, the nose begins with touches of chargrill, tar and graphite, evolving to cassis, blue fruits and coffee notions. The palate is full-bodied and ripe but surprisingly fresh with juicy blue fruits and a bright floral lift, and it finishes very long. This will need more time in the cellar to really open up. 443 cases produced. -October 2020 (Erin Brooks)

2015 Creativity

Paderewski Vineyard, Paso Robles
100% Petite Sirah
Fermented in new ½-ton French oak puncheons
Aged 19 months in new French oak puncheons
Released Spring 2018
85 Cases Produced

Jeb Dunnuck | 95
A wine that changes vintage to vintage, the 2015 Creativity is made from 100% Petite Sirah (the 2014 was 100% Mourvèdre). This deep purple-colored effort was selected due to one of the fermentations standing out and Jordan opted to highlight it. Blueberries, camphor, and exotic spice notes all emerge from this shockingly elegant, layered Petite Sirah that has a beautiful mid-palate, silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. I’d drink bottles over the coming decade, but I suspect it will keep even longer. Drink 2018 – 2028; November 2018 (Jeb Dunnuck)

Wine Advocate | 94
After several Mourvèdre-based renditions of this cuvée, which represents a selection of a barrel or two that Jordan Fiorentini deems worthy of its own bottling, the 2015 Creativity is 100% Petite Sirah. The wine offers up aromas of ripe plums, grilled meat, nori and dark chocolate. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, rich and layered, avoiding the structural rusticity to which this variety is susceptible; indeed, while no one could call this undernourished, it’s remarkably velvety and gourmand. (May 2018, William Kelley)

Vinous | 94
(aged in new French oak for 19 months) Lurid purple. Intensely perfumed black and blue fruit, floral oil, mocha and incense aromas are sharpened by a smoky mineral nuance. Juicy and deeply concentrated on the palate, offering sappy, alluringly sweet blueberry and cherry-vanilla flavors that slowly open up and become spicier with air. Finishes smoky, supple and very long, displaying lingering florality and harmonious tannins. Petite Sirah is a notoriously tough variety to tame, much less polish, but this wine is an exception to that rule. Drink 2025 – 2035; September 2018 (Josh Raynolds)

2014 Creativity

Paderewski Vineyard, Paso Robles
100% Mourvèdre | Clone 369
Fermented in concrete tank
Aged ~18 months: 70% in new French oak barrels, 30% in puncheons
Released Spring 2017
157 Cases Produced

Jeb Dunnuck | 97
The cuvée that allows winemaker Jordan Fiorentini to be creative in every vintage, the 2014 Creativity is 100% Mourvèdre, all from the estate Paderewski Vineyard, that was brought up in 70% new French oak puncheons. It’s a backward, tight, reserved beauty that offers lots of black and blue fruits, crushed rock, meat, chocolate and floral aromas and flavors, and is reminiscent of a Bandol on steroids. Deep, rich, and incredibly textured on the palate, with ample building tannin, it’s tour de force in Paso Robles reds that I wish I could pour for every reader. Give bottles another year or two, and It should cruise for at least a decade. – August 2017 (Jeb Dunnuck)

Vinous | 94
(aged in new French oak for 19 months) Lurid purple. Intensely perfumed black and blue fruit, floral oil, mocha and incense aromas are sharpened by a smoky mineral nuance. Juicy and deeply concentrated on the palate, offering sappy, alluringly sweet blueberry and cherry-vanilla flavors that slowly open up and become spicier with air. Finishes smoky, supple and very long, displaying lingering florality and harmonious tannins. Petite Sirah is a notoriously tough variety to tame, much less polish, but this wine is an exception to that rule. – (Josh Raynolds)

Wine Advocate | 94
Produced from 100% Mourvèdre, the 2014 Creativity has a deep garnet-purple color and nose of warm blackberries, crème de cassis and preserved plums with an earthy undercurrent and hints of sautéed herbs and black olives. Full-bodied and firmly framed by chewy tannins, the earthy/savory flavors are lifted by lovely freshness and it finishes with a lively herbal lift. 157 cases were made. – September 17 (Lisa Perotti-Brown)

2013 Creativity

Paderewski Vineyard, Paso Robles
100% Mourvèdre | Clone 369
Fermented ~35% whole cluster in concrete tanks
Aged for 15 months in 33% new French oak barrels and puncheons
Released Spring 2016
194 Cases Produced

Wine Advocate | 96
A cuvee where Jordan selects something special from the vintage (hence changes each year), the 2013 Creativity is a sensational 100% Mourvedre that comes from a single block in their estate Paderewski. It has drop dead gorgeous notes of dark fruits, crushed rocks, peppery herbs, leather and underbrush that flow perfectly to a full-bodied, seamless and incredibly pure profile on the palate. It has plenty of Mourvedre character, yet is always pure, polished, layered and downright elegant, all of which make it hard to resist. It should cruise for another decade. – August 2015 (Jeb Dunnuck)

Vinous | 93
Opaque purple. Powerful, mineral-laced blueberry, cherry-cola and incense aromas pick up suggestions of black cardamom and woodsmoke with air. Palate-staining black and blue fruit flavors deepen and spread out while retaining vivacity and focus. Deftly blends richness and finesse, with a smoky mineral quality adding cut to the strikingly long, sweet finish. – September 2015 (Josh Raynolds)

Wine Spectator | 92
Big and burly, focused and rich at the core. Aromas of smoky cherry and licorice combine with flavors that are dense but full of personality, showing notes of cracked pepper, dried salami and plum. Drink now through 2026. (Tim Fish)

2012 Creativity

Catapult Vineyard, Paso Robles
90% Syrah | 10% Roussanne
Fermented in one-ton bins. Cofermented with whole cluster Roussanne.
Aged for 17 months in 50% new French oak barrels
93 cases produced

Wine Advocate | 95+
The 2012 Creativity is a smoking (and interesting) blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Roussanne that has both aromatic fireworks as well as a voluptuous, layered and decadent profile on the palate. Giving up perfumed and lively plum pit and black raspberry styled fruits, crushed violets, sweet spice, cured meats and graphite-styled aromas and flavors, this beauty hits the palate with a full-bodied, layered and seamless texture that carries notable freshness, beautiful mid-palate concentration, no hard edges and terrific length. There are masses of finely polished tannin here, so short-term cellaring is advised, but it will have 10-15 years of overall longevity. – August 2015 (Jeb Dunnuck)

Vinous | 90+
The 2012 Creativity is 90% Syrah and 10% Roussanne. Today, the Creativity is quite shut down, most likely the result of its very recent bottling. Still, there is a lot to like, from the wine’s expressive bouquet to all of the energy and density that come through. Readers need to give the 2012 a bit of time to recovered from its very recent bottling. – July 2014 (Antonio Galloni)

2011 Creativity

Catapult Vineyard, Paso Robles
100% Grenache
Fermented in 100% Concrete
Aged 18 months in one New French oak puncheon
47 cases produced

Wine Advocate | 93
A new release and from a block of Grenache that stood out, the 2011 Creativity offers thrilling aromatics (blackberry, raspberry, baking spice, pepper and big minerality) as well as a rich, medium-bodied profile on the palate. Still tannic and firm, with juicy acidity, it’s a pretty, elegant Grenache that will be better in a year and drink well through 2018. Drink 2014-2018. – August 2013 (Jeb Dunnuck)

Vinous | 92
100% grenache that was fermented in concrete tanks and aged in neutral puncheons): Deep ruby. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of red berries, floral oil and Asian spices. Then sappy and intense in the mouth, with a penetrating quality to the sweet black raspberry, cherry and floral pastille flavors. This seductive, vibrant grenache finishes quite long, with mounting spiciness, soft tannins and an echo of sweet red berries. – November 2013 (Josh Raynolds)