Levo Warm Regards Red Wine Paso Robles 2022

In Tin City, on the industrial edge of Paso Robles, Bret Urness is building something that feels both gritty and poetic. His path here was anything but linear. It began in Idaho, where he worked a summer job at a local winery pouring for weddings at his mother's insistence. When winter came, and the events dried up, he found himself in the cellar instead, scrubbing tanks and running pump-overs. It was cold, unglamorous work. But it stuck.

Years later, after moving to Santa Barbara for school, he took a job at Carr Winery. Weekends were spent pruning, dropping fruit, hauling hoses — learning the quiet, punishing rhythm of vineyard life. Bret wanted to study enology formally, but when that door didn't open, he made his own way. As only a young, untethered, and passionate person can, he flew to Portugal and drove straight from the airport to Vinho Verde. From there: Alentejo. The Douro. Vineyard work. Cellar work. Long days. No shortcuts. When he returned to California, he launched Levo on the side of a full-time job. Levo means to rise, to lift, to elevate. Each vintage is treated like a new canvas. No formulas. No repetition. Just the honest expression of place and instinct. And that philosophy hums through this bottle.

Built primarily from Syrah with Petite Sirah, Grenache, and Graciano rounding out the blend, the 2022 ‘Warm Regards’ leans into structure and depth without sacrificing lift. Seventeen months in French oak — a thoughtful mix of new, used, and neutral barrels — gives it frame rather than gloss. In the glass, the wine is inky violet at the rim. Aromas of black plum, blueberry compote, cracked pepper, and warm earth rise deliberately. On the palate, it’s muscular and composed. Dark fruit layers fold into graphite, espresso, and a whisper of baking spice. The tannins are firm and architectural, the kind that promise evolution. This is a stoic wine, yes. But not stern. Give it air. Or better yet, give it a decant and a grilled ribeye