Review: Wines of Truth and Valor, 2023 Vintage
Truth and Valor is a Paso Robles-based producer of particularly patriotic wines, all reds. We last encountered the operation with its 2021 vintage and now we’re back with three offerings from 2023. Let’s salute the winemakers and dig in.
2023 Truth and Valor Pinot Noir Paso Robles – Surprisingly bright and fruity, with a bold cherry character, milk chocolate visible underneath. Cinnamon notes spice things up before a bittersweet chocolate character arrives in time for the finish. Never heavy or overbearing, the wine maintains a lithe quality that is more varietally authentic than we encountered with the 2021 release of this wine, thanks in large part to its laser-like focus on cherry overtones. I’d sip it any day. A- / $25
2023 Truth and Valor Zinfandel Paso Robles – Chocolate and cinnamon lead the way on this effusive yet approachable wine, quite sweet as it’s laced with macerated strawberries and vanilla syrup, before delving into deeper territory, featuring graphite and dried fig and raisin notes. More typically zin-heavy as it finishes, with insistent chocolate elements, it remains a reliable and vibrant expression of the varietal, set against a world in which zin is often washed out by booziness and sugar. A- / $25
2023 Truth and Valor Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles – Extremely fruit-forward, one may even use the term “jammy,” things shift from plum and raspberry notes to a sweeter raisin character as the wine sits on the palate for a bit. Hints of licorice introduce some nuance, but the impact hits as rather candylike, with a slightly saccharine finish. Structurally things just fall a bit flat. B / $28
2023 Truth and Valor Pinot Noir Paso Robles
USD25
