Event

 5:00 - 7:30

We are more than just a little pleased to have Ted Plemons of the Cass Winery back in the shop for a SCARY GOOD tasting of the new vintages and some new offerings from this greatly accomplished Paso Robles Winery.

The Winery got off the ground in 2005 and Ted has been a regular visitor to The Wine Cabinet these many years.

Awards and salivating oenophiles follow him constantly not just on All Hallow's Eve.

If you want to get your evening started with a superb treat, this is the ticket!
No tricks here!!

click on any of the pics to see the Cass website

One night during this trip Steve Cass and Ted Plemons sat down for dinner at a fancy South African restaurant and were amazed to see how inexpensive their bill was due to the value of the South African rand being so low. So, they ordered another bottle of wine, or two… During the consumption of these Syrahs Steve and Ted agreed to become business partners in starting a winery. Ted is a builder and knew how tough building permits could be to come by in regards to starting a tasting room. He had seen multiple year waiting periods with some Santa Ynez wineries at the time. So they decided to jump at the opportunity because at the time building permits for wineries in Paso Robles were relatively easy to come by.

The next day, they took a trip to the local University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town, South Africa, and put up a job wanted sign for an assistant winemaker.  After a short interview process, Cass found winemaker Lood Kotze who ended up being head winemaker at Cass up until 2014.  Once the vineyard began to bear fruit in 2003, the first vintage began. Two years later when the barn was finished being converted into a tasting room and the reds had aged a few years in the barrel, the Cass Winery tasting room opened its doors in May 2005.

The Wines!

90 points - Vinous
90 points, Gold Medal - 2018 Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition

Tasting Notes
Pear preserves, almond cream and honeyed lemon are the dominant characters of the 45% Roussanne, 28% Marsanne and 27% Viognier trio. The soft acidity and plush palate emerge, exhibiting nuances of ripe gala apple, chamomile blossom, vanilla custard and tangerine zest. Undertones of stone like minerarlity stage the finish meeting lingering essence of candied ginger, toasted coconut, buttered brioche and a dash of freshly ground nutmeg.

Opens with attractive fruit and floral notes of bramble berry, black cherry and freshly picked violets.  Zesty pomegranate pith balances shades of warm spice, hibiscus tea and licorice root on the palate. Plum skin, tart cranberry, crushed clove and pink peppercorn elements ride atop supple tannin, delivering a persistent, memorable finish.

• 92 points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine
• Gold Medal - 2017 San Francisco International Wine Competition
• Gold Medal - 2017 Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Competition
• Gold Medal - 2017 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition
• Gold Medal - 2018 Central Coast Wine Competition

Tasting Notes 
Pours vivid crimson with aromas of fresh blackberry, dark cherry, savory jerky and smoked paprika. Full and layered, the palate boasts flavors of dried boysenberry and Acai puree that weave through essences of rose hips tea and sweet tobacco leaf. Subtle tannin, bright acidity and graphite-like minerality provide the backbone for a structured finish accented by expressions of white mocha, black peppercorn and olive tapenade.

Enjoy Now until 2024