Casa de Arcilla Tempranillo Case
$129.99 $254.00 49% off List Price
2011 Casa de Arcilla Tempranillo, Paso Robles
CT link above
I’ve never had this wine. Having said that, my folks are wine club members at another PR winery (Opolo) and one of my favorite wines they make is their Tempranillo.
My friends moved from the SF Bay Area to Santa Barbara, and are Opolo fans (club members). I’ve tried several of their wines, big extracted, over ripe, but that seems to be the norm of most of the wines from this area. Some of their Zins are quite good, but they’re big, over extracted wines, but well made for what they are.
How come wine reviews never include words that are familiar to my taste buds?
Sounds like your taste buds should be in the market for a “Wine Geek to Tongue Speak Dictionary” hehe 
I feel your pain. This glossary might help: http://www.wineanorak.com/glossary/glossary.htm#e
Of course, knowing a definition doesn’t necessarily make the description helpful. When trashing a wine, a little context helps others view the wine through the lens of their own experience.
So made for a decidedly American palate. 
2012 was a great year for California in general.
The varietal is interesting for Paso.
For this price unless absolute plonk it may be worth a try for some summer barbecue.
Winemaker out there to comment?
Any other first hand experience?
I echo what has been said about the Opolo wines. Very big and ripe. That being said, they were excellent and right up my alley. The Mountain Zin was amazing. Am I missing something in the write-ups? Is this wine in any way associated with Opolo? Or is it just about region?
Opolo is the winery my wife and I went to right after I proposed in 2012. We liked all of their reds, not so much the whites.
Snob…
This is a 2011 vintage.
Looks like this is made by Clayhouse winery. They’re known for their Petite Sirahs.
I apologize for any confusion. My comment was intended to apply to the varietal and region.
I generally agree with the comments about Opolo and the region making highly extracted new world style wines. I have to wonder if the amount of sun lends itself to this, in addition to the wine making style. I like the style once in a while, but have to admit the jammy zins tend to gather dust at our house. They do pair well with sweet and spicy Asian dishes such as bulgogi and pork banh mi.
I also agree with the person who said that this is an interesting varietal in this location. Would be good to get some comments from the winery with respect to style.
Look at the numbers! High alcohol and high pH, not likely a food friendly wine.
Look at the price. Probably not a value.
http://www.clayhousewines.com/our-wines/vineyard.php?wine=64
Does not appear to be a large enough price break to try unfamiliar wine with the so so comments above
Good point.
Not sure where I read that, perhaps their website?
would still like to hear some comments on the wine though!
Good Morning, Stacey with Clayhouse Wines. I wanted to reassure everyone that this is a fantastic wine. I just took this wine out yesterday to show to a few restaurants and it was the most popular wine in my bag. While the alcohol is on the higher side (though fairly average for Paso), it is well balanced. You won’t pick up any heat. The nose leads with earthier notes of leather and cedar and the plum and dark berry flavors come through on the palate. It is an incredibly food-friendly wine, especially with grilled foods or burgers. A good red going into the warmer months.
Thanks for joining us Stacey.
Why did you create a different label for this wine?