Justin 2020 Isosceles Paso Robles Red Wine 750ml

Isosceles has been Justin Vineyards & Winery's flagship wine and quality benchmark for more than thirty vintages — a genuine anchor for what founder Justin Baldwin set out to prove when he established the winery in 1981: that Paso Robles could produce Bordeaux-style wines every bit as serious as their Old World inspiration. The 2020 vintage runs 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, supported by 6% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, crafted under winemaker Scott Shirley, a UC Davis graduate who cut his teeth at Opus One before joining Justin in 2012.

Wine Enthusiast awarded 91 Points, describing "roasted black plum aromas" meeting "tobacco leaf on the nose," with a palate that shows "a lot of primary fruit flavors, from black plum to blackberry, with Christmas spices proving quite prominent." Justin's own official tasting notes describe a wine "bright with a dark purple/black core and a lighter ruby purple rim," showing "slowforming, moderately stained tears on the glass," attractively aromatic and complex with "ripe black and red cherry, black currant, new book leather, cedar, tobacco, vanilla bean, licorice, and oak," full-bodied on the palate with "ripe complex cherry, cassis, and a subtle red berry fruit on entry." One independent taster found the wine genuinely smooth despite its structure: "on the nose, mellow and soft cherry with a hint of soft vanilla pipe tobacco. On the palate this is one of the smoothest wines imaginable yet with strong characteristics. Black cherry with notes of oak, cedar and subtle leather fills the mouth. There was also a hint of licorice. The finish was layered and complex with each sip exposing the genuine uniqueness of this wine. Tannins were present and velvety but kept in check" — concluding it belonged on their year-end best-wines list.

Worth sharing honestly: CellarTracker's community showed some genuine range in opinion. One reviewer found "wonderful rich full fruit, velvet mouthfeel, lingering finish. Great wine," while a longtime Justin member raised a more critical note, describing this vintage as "overly jammy, with non-integrated, overbearing alcohol," questioning whether the wine had "the structure, especially a lack of tannins, to really develop into a very good or better wine" over time. As with any wine, individual palates and bottle variation can genuinely diverge — but the consensus across professional critics and most tasters lands firmly positive, describing a rich, aromatic, classically styled Bordeaux blend built on Justin's decades of Paso Robles winemaking experience.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Justin Vineyards & Winery, the pioneer of Paso Robles, was founded in 1981 by Justin Baldwin, known for crafting world-class wines using Bordeaux grape varieties. Isosceles has served as the winery's flagship wine and quality benchmark for more than thirty vintages, a blend based on Cabernet Sauvignon supported by Cabernet Franc and Merlot, showcasing exactly why Paso Robles has become such a celebrated region for these varieties. The 2020 vintage is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc, crafted by winemaker Scott Shirley, a UC Davis graduate who worked at Opus One before joining Justin in 2012 — Shirley also crafted the winery's Justification blend, which was named the top wine in the world in 2017 and earned 94 points from Wine Spectator for its 2014 vintage.

Once harvested, the grapes are sorted, selected, aged, tasted, and blended by Shirley and his team to determine the final composition of each vintage. Justin's estate features a tasting room, luxury five-star accommodations at the JUST INN, and a Michelin-starred restaurant, making it one of the only wineries on the Central Coast to offer all three amenities.

Critics Reviews

Wine Enthusiast — 91 Points:
"Roasted black plum aromas meet with tobacco leaf on the nose of this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. The palate shows a lot of primary fruit flavors, from black plum to blackberry, with Christmas spices proving quite prominent."

California Wines & Wineries (extended independent review):
"First looking into the glass with the wine, a bright and dark purple, almost black coloring and medium heavy viscosity. On the nose, mellow and soft cherry with a hint of soft vanilla pipe tobacco. On the palate this is one of the smoothest wines imaginable yet with strong characteristics. Black cherry with notes of oak, cedar and subtle leather fills the mouth. There was also a hint of licorice. The finish was layered and complex with each sip exposing the genuine uniqueness of this wine. Tannins were present and velvety but kept in check. Wine Enthusiast rated it 91 points, but it is surely higher today in my opinion."

CellarTracker community (extended reviews):
"Wonderful rich full fruit, velvet mouthfeel, lingering finish. Great wine." A separate, more critical reviewer noted: "I found this overly jammy with non-integrated, overbearing alcohol. One could argue this may develop in the future, but I don't think this wine has the structure, especially a lack of tannins, to really develop into a very good or better wine."

Justin Vineyards & Winery (official tasting notes):
"Bright with a dark purple/black core and a lighter ruby purple rim showing slowforming, moderately stained tears on the glass. Attractively aromatic and complex with ripe black and red cherry, black currant, new book leather, cedar, tobacco, vanilla bean, licorice, and oak. Full-bodied on the palate with ripe complex cherry, cassis, and a subtle red berry fruit on entry."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Dark purple/black core with a lighter ruby purple rim. Roasted black plum and tobacco leaf lead, joined by ripe black and red cherry, black currant, new book leather, cedar, and vanilla bean.

Palate
Full-bodied, with ripe, complex cherry, cassis, and subtle red berry fruit on entry, developing into black plum, blackberry, and prominent Christmas spice. Licorice and oak round out a genuinely smooth, velvety texture, with tannins present but well-integrated.

Finish
Layered and complex, closing with lingering leather, cedar, and spice — a genuinely long, memorable finish that reflects Justin's three-decade-plus track record with this flagship blend.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Grilled steak or rib-eye
• Smoked meats
• Blue cheese, Gorgonzola, or Parmesan
• Dark chocolate