Arbuckle Ridge Ciento Vineyard Red Blend Adelaida District 2023

For Scotty Saunders, growing up among California’s most celebrated vineyards made one thing inevitable: wine would always be part of his life. As the son of Jim and Debi Saunders of Hearst Ranch Winery, he was raised in the rows, shaped by harvest seasons, and steeped in the rhythms of Paso Robles viticulture long before he could legally taste the results. Yet rather than simply inherit a legacy, Scotty felt compelled to explore the region he calls home through a lens that was distinctly his own—guided by curiosity, humility, and the steady encouragement of his greatest mentors (Mom and Dad).

Arbuckle Ridge was born not out of rebellion, but out of creative independence. While Scotty continues his full-time role at Hearst Ranch, this project allows him to experiment, adapt, and respond intuitively to Paso Robles’ vast and varied terroir. With vineyards ranging from 700 to 2,400 feet in elevation and soils rich in clay, lime, and magnesium, Paso offers both challenge and opportunity. Each vintage brings a new puzzle, and Scotty embraces that variability, adjusting blends and techniques to capture balance, freshness, and place rather than chasing a fixed formula.

The 2023 Ciento Vineyard Red Blend is a confident expression of that philosophy. Composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc and aged in 75% new French oak, it opens with classic, compelling aromatics of cassis, graphite, lead pencil, and violet. On the palate, the wine is ripe and concentrated yet composed, with a medium-to-full body and a youthful structure that hints at what time will unlock. Ripe tannins frame the finish, lending both polish and promise. This is a wine that drinks beautifully now with air, but will reward patience in the cellar. With the Ciento Vineyard Red Blend, Scotty Saunders isn’t stepping away from tradition—he’s deepening it, offering a thoughtful, expressive take on Paso Robles from someone who knows its soils and seasons intimately.