95pts James Suckling

Ripe blackberries, cassis and plum skins with blood orange, anisette and wet stones on offer. Full-bodied with compact, refined tannins and velvety texture. Generous and plentiful with a deep core of black fruit and a spiced, chocolatey finish. Really well made.

95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2021 Optimus is an elegant, polished blend of 55% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18% Petit Verdot. It takes plenty of air to reveal maraschino cherry, blueberry, leather, aniseed, gravel dust and garrigue aromas. The full-bodied palate offers expansive, spicy fruit framed by powdery tannins and focused acidity, and it has a long, latent finish. 

93pts Jeb Dunnuck

Moving to the 2021s from bottle and starting with the 2021 Optimus (55% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 18% Petit Verdot), it sports a deeper plum/purple hue as well as rocking notes of blackberries, peppery herbs, candied violets, and subtle meaty, savory nuances. It's medium to full-bodied and has a round, layered, silky texture and outstanding length. It’s going to shine for 5-7 years, if not longer.
Rating: 93+

93pts Decanter

This flagship blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot was Stephan Asseo’s raison d’être to leave France and make wine in the US. Blueberry compote on the nose, which evolves into dark and brooding fruit on the palate. The fruit is ripe yet precise, a signature of Paso. Tannins are prevalent in this full-bodied wine but will soften and integrate with age.

Winemaker Notes

Optimus is the perfect introduction to the L'Aventure lineup. Optimus is beautifully balanced with a lot of freshness. This wine is approachable young but can be enjoyed for up to a decade. The 2021 vintage is comprised of 55% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 18% Petit Verdot. It has been aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak, 50% 1-year old French oak with malolactic fermentation in barrel.

Blend: 58% Syrah, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot

Winery Notes

L'Aventure was founded in 1998 by a French winemaker, Stephan Asseo. After Stephan graduated enology school in Burgundy, the Asseo family bought their first estate, Domaine de Courteillac, in the Bordeaux area in 1982. Later, the family purchased additional properties: Chateau Robin and Chateau Fleur-Cardinale in Saint-Emilion. Stephan raised these properties to a level of great quality, while managing some other well-established domaines such as Chateau Guillot-Clauzel in Pomerol and Chateau Corbin in St Emilion.

Stephan saw in the New World a unique opportunity to expand his experience, while gaining more freedom in viticulture and vinification. He began by looking all over California for land, including Napa/Sonoma and Santa Barbara counties, but it was the terroir and climate of Paso Robles that impressed him the most.

L'Aventure is located on the west side of Paso Robles in the Willow Creek District. The 127-acre property with 57 acres planted, is comprised of multiple hills of various elevation and complex soils. Because of its proximity to the ocean, the vineyard has clear warm days and drastic cool nighttime temperatures which increases the time of the grape’s maturation cycle providing fruit that creates a more complex and balanced wine. Stephan’s choice of this lean terroir provides him with the fruit necessary to create wine with a good balance between alcohol and acidity. The resulting wines are full and rich yet well balanced and elegant.