Skip to Main Content
Search

Rooted In Paso: Thibido’s Rich New Red Blend, Rootbound 2023

A Rich New Blend

Root­bound isn’t just a wine. It’s a reflec­tion of lega­cy. Of vines that have been part of our family’s sto­ry for gen­er­a­tions. Of dusty vine­yard rows, late-sea­son har­vests, and the kind of bold, unapolo­getic Paso Rob­les sun­shine that gets into the skin of the fruit — and stays there.

Craft­ed by Thibido Win­ery in the heart of Paso Rob­les’ Wil­low Creek Dis­trict, Root­bound 2023 is rich, dry, deeply struc­tured, and wild­ly aro­mat­ic. It’s the kind of wine that demands atten­tion in the glass — a blend of char­ac­ter and inten­si­ty that speaks of place, of peo­ple, and of patience.

In a region known for push­ing the enve­lope with Rhône vari­etals and big reds, Root­bound carves its own path by hon­or­ing two of Paso’s icon­ic grapes: Carig­nan and Zin­fan­del. This is a wine that pays homage to the past while drink­ing like the future: fresh, con­cen­trat­ed, bal­anced, and fierce­ly expressive.

The 2023 vin­tage marks one of our most excit­ing releas­es to date — a wine designed not just for the moment, but for the cel­lar, for the firepit, for the sto­ries you tell over a sec­ond glass. If you’re look­ing for the kind of wine that makes an impres­sion with­out need­ing to shout, Root­bound is it.

Here, we’ll share what went into the blend, what to expect in the glass, and why this vin­tage is one that means more than most. But for now, just know this: Root­bound 2023 is the wine we’ve been wait­ing to share with you.

A True Paso Blend: What’s in Rootbound 2023

Root­bound is Paso Rob­les in a bot­tle — sun-soaked, soil-dri­ven, and unapolo­get­i­cal­ly bold. The 2023 vin­tage is a lay­ered, thought­ful­ly craft­ed blend of:

  • 42% Carig­nan
  • 39% Zin­fan­del
  • 10% Mourvè­dre
  • 6% Syrah
  • 3% Grenache

Each vari­etal plays its part: Carig­nan brings struc­ture and spice, Zin­fan­del deliv­ers vibrant fruit and fresh­ness, Mourvè­dre adds depth and grip, Syrah gives smoky com­plex­i­ty, and Grenache lifts it all with round, soft red fruit.

All fruit was hand-picked from Thibido’s CCOF Cer­ti­fied Organ­ic vine­yard in the Wil­low Creek Dis­trict, where steep slopes and diur­nal tem­per­a­ture swings give the grapes their sig­na­ture con­cen­tra­tion and bal­ance. Har­vest­ed on Octo­ber 11, 2023, the fruit came in at 25.5 Brix, show­cas­ing opti­mal ripeness and phe­no­lic development.

Root­bound 2023 is a wine of sub­stance — made to age, to open slow­ly, and to evolve in the glass. It was fer­ment­ed in small lots to pre­serve vibran­cy and vari­etal char­ac­ter, then aged in French oak (a mix of new and neu­tral) to bring spice, tex­ture, and seam­less integration.

This is a wine with Paso atti­tude and Old World soul. A blend for peo­ple who like their reds with back­bone, fla­vor, and a lit­tle extra some­thing they can’t quite name — until they taste it again.

The 2023 Growing Season: A Vintage to Remember

The 2023 vin­tage wasn’t just good — it was phe­nom­e­nal. Ide­al con­di­tions from bud break to har­vest gave us grapes that were bal­anced, expres­sive, and packed with poten­tial. A mild spring led to even flow­er­ing and strong fruit set, while the long, warm sum­mer helped each vari­etal ripen slow­ly and even­ly. By the time har­vest rolled around in ear­ly Octo­ber, we knew some­thing spe­cial was coming.

And Root­bound isn’t the only star of this vintage.

This fall, our club mem­bers and mail­ing list sub­scribers were giv­en exclu­sive access to a line­up that reflects the full beau­ty of the sea­son. That includes two of our most antic­i­pat­ed 100% CCOF Organ­icestate-grown wines:

  • Hip­pie Hill 2023 – From the organ­i­cal­ly farmed Thibido Vine­yard, this blend cap­tures the soul of west­side Paso Rob­les. Expect lift­ed red fruit, spice, and a touch of coastal wildness.
  • Root­bound 2023 – Deep, con­cen­trat­ed, and already earn­ing praise, this is Paso in its most expres­sive form.
  • The Bed­fel­low 2023 – A brand-new release, nev­er before shared with the pub­lic. Craft­ed in secret, shaped by instinct, and ready to make its debut this October.
  • Just Becuase 2024 — the out­lier, an ele­gant car­bon­ic Syrah made in an uncon­ven­tion­al style with a rule break­ing fla­vor profile.

The fall 2025 wine club ship­ment is more than a sea­son­al release — it’s a cel­e­bra­tion of a vin­tage that gave us every­thing we love about Paso Rob­les: rich­ness, struc­ture, and clar­i­ty. Whether you’re already a mem­ber or think­ing of join­ing, this is the moment to lean in.

Tasting and Trying Rootbound

Tast­ing Root­bound: What It’s Like in the Glass

From the moment Root­bound 2023 is poured, it cap­ti­vates. In the glass, it shows a deep, inky pur­ple hue — dense at the core, fad­ing to ruby at the rim. Swirl it, and you’ll catch the first wave: aro­mas of ripe rasp­ber­ry, pur­ple Jol­ly Ranch­er, and a trace of black licorice, ris­ing with energy.

On the palate, it bursts open: rich red and black fruits lay­ered with rasp­ber­ry coulis, tart cher­ry, and wild straw­ber­ry. That juicy core is wrapped in savory notes of smoked meats, dark cocoa, and a whis­per of dried herbs and spice.

There’s heat, yes, but it’s bal­anced by bright acid­i­ty and a round, struc­tured mouth­feel that holds every­thing in place. Tan­nins are present but pol­ished, giv­ing the wine grip with­out aggression.

This is not a shy wine — it’s expres­sive and full-bod­ied, but with restraint and ele­gance. It evolves with air, open­ing over time to reveal lay­ers of com­plex­i­ty. Whether you’re sip­ping it now or cel­lar­ing for a few years, Root­bound offers an expe­ri­ence that deep­ens with every pour.

And for those who trust the pros? James Suck­ling award­ed Root­bound 2023 a 93-point score — call­ing out its struc­ture, bal­ance, and dynam­ic fruit pro­file. We’ll toast to that.

WHERE TO FIND ROOTBOUND

Root­bound 2023 is avail­able now through our tast­ing room and online store — but with lim­it­ed case pro­duc­tion, it won’t last long.

To guar­an­tee access to wines like Root­bound, Hip­pie Hill, and The Bed­fel­low, con­sid­er join­ing our Thibido Wine Club. Mem­bers receive first access to small-lot releas­es, curat­ed ship­ments, up to 20% off all wines year round, com­pli­men­ta­ry tast­ings and wines you won’t find any­where else. It’s more than a club — it’s a com­mu­ni­ty of curi­ous, pas­sion­ate, and wine-lov­ing peo­ple who care about where their wine comes from and how it’s made.

And if you’re ever near Paso Rob­les, come vis­it us. We’re pour­ing flights, shar­ing sto­ries, and rais­ing glass­es Thurs­day through Sun­day — by appoint­ment or by chance. Make your RESER­VA­TION here.

Shop Rootbound Now