• Wine Regions
    • Napa Valley Wine Country Guide
    • Healdsburg – Russian River Wine Country
    • Sonoma Valley Wine Country Planning Guide
    • Mendocino Wine Country
    • Carneros
    • Paso Robles Wine Country
    • Santa Barbara Wine Country
    • Livermore Valley wineries
    • Lodi Wineries
    • Sierra Foothills Wineries
    • Monterey Wineries
    • Santa Cruz Wineries
    • Lake County Wine Country
    • Yolo County Wine Country
  • Tasting Room Guide
    • Tasting Room Etiquette
    • Napa Valley on a Budget 2022
    • What to Pack for a Wine Country Picnic
    • How to Taste Wine
    • Bocce Wineries
    • Organic Wineries
    • Vineyard Year
    • Best wine country backroads
    • Winery Wine Clubs
    • Buying Wine at a Winery
    • Wine Varietals
    • Wine Appellations
    • Solar Wineries in California
    • How many bottles of wine in a barrel?
    • Hiking in Wine Country
  • Wine Guide
    • Pairing Food & Wine
      • Which wines for dinner?
    • Which Wine Glass
    • Decanting wine
    • Which Corkscrew works best
    • Corkage Fees
    • Corked Wine
      • Preserving Wine – what to do with the unfinished bottle of wine
    • Hosting a Wine Tasting Party – How to pull it off
      • Hosting a Serious Wine Tasting Party
      • How to Host a Fun and Casual Wine Tasting Party
      • Wine Scoring Sheets | Wine Tasting Forms | Wine Scorecards
      • Checklist for Successful Wine Tasting
    • Wine Gifts for Wine Geeks
      • Best Wine Books
      • Top Ten Wine Cookbooks
      • Best wine fiction books
    • Best Wine Bargains
    • Wine Collection Tips
  • Wine Country Insider
    • Wine Trails off the Beaten Path
    • Quick Getaways
    • Hiking in Wine Country
    • When to Visit Wine Country
    • Which wine region to visit and why
    • Redwoods and Vineyards
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
You are here: Home / Archives for Paso Robles Wine Country

Paso Robles Big Three Wineries

January 11, 2023 by Joe Becerra Leave a Comment

Big three wineries in Paso Robles
City Park in Downtown Paso Robles – Great wine country

Once a cowboy and cowgirl town, Paso Robles is now a wine country destination for wine lovers and tourists. More than 200 wineries and eleven Wine AVA’s await the traveler. In this article, we focus on what we call the Big Three Wineries in Paso Robles.

Paso Robles Big Three Wineries

If you love visiting the elegant and elaborate wineries of the Napa Valley, the Paso Robles Big Three wineries will certainly be equally as great as an experience in Napa Valley. The Big Three each produce fantastic wines and offer stupendous views and tastings. From downtown Paso Robles, head over 24th Street and go to Adelaida Road. See the map below. Pace yourself and plan your day. Do you want to picnic? Do you want to have food and wine pairings? Do you just want to taste?

Daou Vineyards & Winery

Daou wine
Joe and Janelle enjoying Daou vino
Daou patio
Daou food and wine pairing

Atop Daou Mountain sits the winery and tasting room. The views are spectacular. The outdoor seating is the ideal place to enjoy the amazing views of the Paso Robles wine country. There are a number of outdoor seating options, heat lamps and other amenities for the visitor.

There are two ways to experience Daou. At the time of this article, it was $40 per person to taste a flight of the Daou white and red wines. The tasting can take place at the tasting bar, indoor seating, or outdoors. Wherever you choose, it is luxury.

The second way to enjoy the Daou experience is with one of two wine and food pairings. Wines are presented with an artisan cheese and charcuterie plate. An educated staff member will guide visitors.

In the second wine and food experience, visitors choose from a menu of bites paired with Daou wines. Both of the tastings are popular and, if you choose to participate, it is best to reserve your time spot. Daou is very popular any time of the year. Check the Daou Website for complete visitor experiences.

Halter Ranch Vineyards

Halter Ranch Vineyards

Visitors have many choices for wine tasting fun at Halter Ranch Vineyards: taste wine, take a horseback ride tour, a jeep tour, a cave tour, or have wine and food pairings. If that is not enough, the winery is planning to have a train ride through the Halter Ranch vineyards.

The tasting room is spacious with huge windows that give visitors spectacular views of the surrounding vineyards. Visitors can also choose to sit outside to taste wine. It is also possible to order wine by the glass or bottle. Bring your friends and your picnic delights.

Halter has an Executive Chef who prepares a seasonal food and wine pairing menu, Wednesday through Sunday, from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. On Sundays, pizza is hot out of the outdoor pizza oven.

Justin Vineyards & Winery

Justin Vineyards & Winery has it all. The winery boasts a Michelin-rated restaurant and the Just Inn, a secluded place to lodge, deep in Paso Robles wine country. There are a few options for tasting and touring the winery. Check out the Justin Website for selecting and booking a wine tasting. The surrounding area has some of the best scenery in all of California wine country. One of the options for touring is an e-bike tour. It is a little pricey, but makes for a fantastic experience; something different to do in wine country.

Big Three Wineries Road Mad

Additional Paso Robles wine country essentials

  • Paso Robles wine trails
  • Best dining in Paso Robles
  • Best lodging in Paso Robles
  • Things to do in Paso Robles

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country

J Lohr in Paso Robles

October 7, 2020 by Joe Becerra

J Lohr in Paso Robles wine country
J Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon

National Geographic and the Somm Journal are teaming up to present a virtual exploration of wineries worldwide. The series is “Unique Wine Regions of the World.” In the most recent virtual experience, J Lohr Vineyards & Wines represented the wine region of Paso Robles.

Paso Robles Wine Country

Paso Robles is one of our favorite wine regions to visit and explore. Paso Robles has eleven AVAs. The soil, terrain, and climate are suited for several different varieties of grapes. There are 200 plus wineries in the area, ranging from small and cozy to elaborate and luxurious hospitality centers.

Paso Robles and J Lohr
City Park in downtown Paso Robles

Paso Robles wine history began in the early 1970s. For many years, Zinfandel was the most notable wine, then came Cabernet Sauvignon. Now it is Rhone-style wines that are taking center stage in both white and red wines. Whatever your preference is in wines, you are likely to find it in Paso Robles.

The area is more relaxed than the Napa Valley. Things move at a slower pace. For us, the backroads are varied and beautiful. Around each bend, one finds something exciting to see.

The downtown area of Paso Robles is booming, even amid the COVID Pandemic. Restaurants and lodging establishments seem to be very busy with patrons. In short, there is much to explore for wine country lovers in this region.

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines

J Lohr began in 1976, and its founder Jerry Lohr inspires the winery to produce quality wines from its 3000 acres of vines. Wine production is 1.5 million cases. In supermarkets across the U.S., we are likely to find the J Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon and the J Lohr Monterey Pinot Noir, among others. These wines are excellent values, and usually the price is around $15.

J. Lohr Pinot Noir
`

At the top of the line, and, in limited production, is the J Lohr single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, “Signature.” The grapes for this wine come from the Beck Vineyard. The elevation there is 1700 feet, and it has calcareous soils. The vineyard is in the path of the afternoon cooling breezes from the Pacific Ocean. All of this adds up to a delicious and world-class Cabernet Sauvignon.

Visiting J. Lohr and other Paso Robles wineries

The COVID Pandemic is affecting the way many Paso Robles wineries are having their wine tastings. Currently, the J Lohr winery is not accepting visitors. We hope the wine scene returns to normal in 2021.

In the meantime, many wineries are doing tastings in their outside areas. Most wineries require reservations. It is best to plan your trip to Paso Robles by checking with individual winery websites. Find out what their tasting room policy is before heading out.

Additional Paso Robles resources

  • Wine Trails of Paso Robles
  • Best places to stay in Paso Robles
  • Best dining in Paso Robles
  • Things to Do in Paso Robles
Paso Robles wine country
Paso Robles Wine Map

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country

Stolo Family Vineyards has a Niche

June 22, 2018 by Joe Becerra

A Visit to Stolo Family Vineyards – Why you should go

Paso Robles is a hot spot for wine country travelers. The downtown is booming with high-end restaurants and boutique shopping. There are enough tasting rooms in and around the famous City Park to spend an entire day. To the immediate west and east are backroads leading to numerous wineries attracting wine enthusiast in droves. So why do we suggest that you drive 30 miles to the coastal town of Cambria to visit the Stolo Family Vineyards?  We think Stolo Family Vineyards has a niche that offers a unique wine country experience.

We visited Stolo a week ago, first stopping in Paso Robles for lunch. The temperature read 88 degrees in Paso. When we arrived at the Stolo Family Vineyards tasting room, the temperature was 68 degrees. The temperature is what sets Stolo apart from the inland Paso Robles wineries. The winery is only a couple of miles from the Pacific Ocean. Besides the cool temperatures, a moist breeze from the ocean provides a freshness to the air. On most summer days, the area is drenched in fog until the late morning or early afternoon. This is a cool-climate grape growing region. Stolo vineyards include Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and surprisingly, Syrah. The growing season is very long because of the cool climate. Harvest can last all the way to the first week in November.

The Stolo Family has two estate vineyard locations. The oldest is on the hillside, where Chardonnay and Pinot Noir flourish. This vineyard has an origin date of 1998. The Stolo Family took over what was an old dairy farm in 2002 and soon established their wine business. Later, the Creekside Vineyard was planted. It is located across the road and in the flatlands. Nicole Pope is the winemaker. She studied Chemistry at nearby Cal Poly and traveled to Australia and South Africa to hone her winemaking skills. Nicole also did a stint at Domaine Carneros. The Carneros region is another wine area known for its cool climate and marine factors.

Stolo Chardonnay

Stolo Hillside Chardonnay Vineyard planted in 1998

We sampled through all the Stolo wines. We were fortunate to taste with Nicole and general manager Diego Aquirre. Case production is  2000, so the supply is limited. We started with the Sauvignon Blanc. It gave us a clear indication of the Stolo wines. For whatever reason, the soil or the closeness to the ocean, the Sauvignon Blanc is distinctive. It is bright, lush, and with a stony characteristic. All the other wines followed suit, each with subtle attributes demonstrating the terroir of the Stolo Family Vineyards.

Nicole Pope, winemaker Stolo Family Vineyards

Nicole Pope, winemaker Stolo Family Vineyards

Two Chardonnays and two Pinot Noir wines are produced, one from the hillside vineyard and the other from the Creekside Vineyards. The Syrah grown in this climate takes on a whole different flavor profile than its warmer counterpart in Paso Robles. It is spicy, medium bodied, and has that smokey bacon flavor just like the Northern Rhone Syrahs. Fantastic!

The winery is open daily, and one can make a full day out of a visit. Cambria is full of good restaurants and boutique shopping. The Stolo winery has a large picnic area and benches. The folks here are very accommodating, so bring your picnic lunch and relax among the vineyards.

The six wineries in this area have established the Pacific Coast Wine Trail. Besides Stolo, one can visit Harmony Cellars at 3255 Harmony Valley Road. In the town of Cambria, these wineries have tasting rooms: Black Hand Cellars, Moonstone Cellars, and Twin Coyotes. Nearby in Cayucos is the tasting room of Cayucos Cellars. There is a movement afoot among the six wineries to promote this coastal area as its own AVA. Right now, the wineries are in the larger geographic area known as the Central Coast AVA. No doubt the proximity to the Pacific Ocean warrants its own AVA designation.

More Information on Paso Robles wine country

  • Paso Robles Wine Country Planning Guide
  • Where to dine in Paso Robles
  • Where to lodging in Paso Robles

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country, Tasting Rooms Tagged With: Coastal wines, Pacific Coast Wine Trail, Stolo Family Vineyards

The Ever-Changing Paso Robles Wine Country

October 26, 2017 by Joe Becerra

One of many Paso Robles wine country backroads

One of many Paso Robles wine country backroads

Paso Robles Wine Country Two-Day Getaway

It has been a long two years since we spent time in the Paso Robles wine country. Our very first visit to this wine country was in 1998, and we have returned on numerous occasions. You can’t imagine the growth in the wine and food scene since our first visit. In 1998 there were, at the most, 50 wineries in Paso Robles. Today, there are more than 200. In town, there were perhaps one or two nice restaurants; now it is a gourmet mecca.

On this visit we found some subtle changes. There seems to be a lot more traffic and more crowds in the tasting room. Maybe folks are concerned about the state of wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma and are heading to Paso as an alternate choice. We noticed tasting room fees are creeping upwards, not as high as the Napa Valley but enough to make a few days of wine tasting very expensive. The wine prices are also up.

I love the handy tool on the Paso Robles Wine Alliance Website for filtering wineries to visit.  Select your choices and, bang, you get a list of wineries to visit. I started by selecting filters at $0 tasting room fees and wine prices less than $25 a bottle. Only nine wineries popped up among the over 200 Paso Robles wineries. This is what we did over two days in Paso Robles.

Day One

Our first stop on Day One was Lone Madrone on the lovely Adelaida Road. The Adelaida Road Wine Trail is a terrific guide for visiting excellent wineries in the Paso wine region. Lone Madrone is a simple tasting room with a quiet picnic area. You get to taste five wines for $15. The man behind the Lone Madrone label is Neil Collins, the winemaker at Tablas Creek, the esteemed Rhone producer of fine wines.  We enjoyed all the wines here; they are very well made and fun wines. All the wines are produced from grapes that have been sourced from various vineyards. No wine is made here, but it is a very nice place to taste wines.

Lone Madrone Tasting Room

Lone Madrone Tasting Room

Our second stop is Halter Ranch Vineyard, further west on Adelaida Road. The Halter Ranch winery is quite the contrast from Lone Madrone. The winery has an absolutely stunning, state-of-the-art winemaking facility. The tasting room is expansive, with grand windows that look out into the vast vineyards of Halter Ranch. It is packed with tourists and staffed appropriately.

The views are sensational and the wines are very good. For a $15 tasting fee, you taste five wines and, if you purchase a bottle, the fee is waived. I love that policy.  The Grenache Blanc is delicious, our favorite of the white wines. In the reds, the CDP (Côtes de Paso) and the Syrah are both beautifully balanced and very flavorful. Y0u can also buy wines by the glass and retreat to the outdoor tables to enjoy a serene experience.

Halter Ranch tasting room

The breathtaking view from Halter Ranch tasting room

From Adelaida Road, we work our way back to town via Highway 46 West. Vineyard Drive leads to the highway and along the way are many excellent wineries worth a stop. A good picnic winery is Castoro Cellars, just off Highway 46. The wines are reasonable and the staff very friendly. Castoro is one of the early wineries in Paso Robles.

For our first night in Paso Robles, we have elected to prepare dinner in our rental home. With the advent of Airbnb and others, renting a home in Paso Robles is an additional option to hotel and motel lodging. We cooked up two Ribeye steaks on a very hot cast iron skillet and matched them with a Halter Syrah and a Lone Madrone Nebbiolo.  We lodged at a home a 1/2 mile from the downtown area.

Day Two Paso Robles Wine Country

We walked to the Paso Robles Plaza for coffee and scones at the Red Scooter Deli. I love the sign on the wall, “No Wifi, pretend like it is 1994 and talk to each other.”  The Red Scooter Deli is a perfect choice for stocking up on deli lunches for a wine country picnic. Unlike the Napa Valley, most of the wineries in Paso Robles have picnic areas.

Today, we plan on hitting the wineries on the east side of Hwy. 101. It is not as pretty as the westside in terms of backroads, but there are some great wineries to be explored. First stop is Bianchi Winery. This a beautiful winery facility, complete with pond and Bocce courts. The wines are reasonable and delicious, and there are several different varieties on the wine list. It is too early for lunch for us, but in the future it will be on the top of the list for a midday feast. One of the wines we liked was the Refosco. Refosco is an Italian grape, the second most grown in Italy. Unfortunately, the vineyard sourced for this wine has been replanted with another grape variety, so this is the last of the Bianchi Refosco wine.

Bianchi Vineyards Tasting Room

Bianchi Vineyards Tasting Room

Further along the backroads from Bianchi, we pass a small winery called Rio Seco. The winery and vineyards were established in the 1980’s. This is a small (1700 cases) family-owned winery. We love the coziness of the tasting room and that the winemaker is giving the tasting. There are no frills here, just plain old-fashioned wine fun. The wines are good and inexpensive. They are not high quality with new French barrel aging. Just decent wine. The founder and original winemaker, Tom Hinkle, was a major league baseball scout for 30 years.  His baseball labels add fun to the wine bottle. How about Squeeze Play, Clubhouse Red, or Stealin’ Home?

 

 

Baseball and wine at Rio Seco Winery

Baseball and wine at Rio Seco Winery

Driving along the eastside wine route, we pass by several wineries including Pear Valley, Penman Springs, and Clautiere. These are fun wineries, but we head to Cass Winery. It is an old favorite of ours and the winery has an excellent picnic area. We love the Rhone wines at Cass, especially the Marsanne and Roussanne, both 100% varietal wines. Delicious!

Now that we have tasted several delicious Paso Robles wine, we are headed to the Paso Robles Albertsons Supermarket for wine shopping. This article on Good Cheap Vino tells it all. It is without a doubt the best wine department of any supermarket we have visited. They have a very large inventory of wines from the local wineries and priced much lower than you can buy them at the tasting room.

 

Dinner at Paso Terra

Paso Terra is a real find for us. Paso Terra has been operating since 2012, but somehow we’ve have missed it on past visits. It is a French restaurant specializing in seafood. The chef is Andre Eversang, and he is a very real Frenchman.  Andre graduated from Avignon Culinary School and has worked with many famous chefs. We went on a Wednesday night when one can order French wines at half price. Our dinner was: complimentary champagne, an amuse bouche followed by the main courses. We ordered ceviche, lobster bisque, salad crab cakes, butterfish and a delicious halibut. Andre came to our table and spent some time with us. We all felt like we were in Paris again.

What a fantastic two days in Paso Robles wine country. If you’re planning a trip to Paso Robles, use our Paso Roble Wine Country Planning Guide. The guide has everything you need for planning a terrific wine and food adventure.

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country Tagged With: PasoTerra Restaurant, Wine country adventure

Paso Robles Art and Wine Tour in September

August 29, 2015 by Joe Becerra

amy-hanson

Erin Hanson Art & Wine tour in Paso Robles

15 Paso Robles wineries to participate in the Erin Hanson Art & Wine Tour 2015

Something quite different will take place in the Paso Robles wine country in September. Fifteen Paso Robles wineries will participate in the Erin Hanson Art & Wine Tour 2015. These select Paso Robles wineries will feature the oil paintings of impressionist artist Erin Hanson.  Erin has spent the past five years exploring the Central Coast and Paso Robles wine country. Her paintings of wine country are stunning, with brilliant colors and brush strokes that present a vibrant and passionate view of the wine country. Those who visit these wineries will not only be able to view the paintings, but also be able to enter their names to win an original piece of art by Erin Hanson as well as this beautiful California Wine Country Book. For those who do not wish to drive from winery to winery, visitors can take the Art Hop.  The Hop On, Hop Off Wine Tour is offering a special excursion to select wineries on the west and east sides of Paso Robles wine country. Additional information.

Artist Erin Hanson

A chance to win this book

Erin Hanson’s California Wine Country

This is a beautiful coffee table book. The landscapes just seem to pop out from each page. This is the type of book to be enjoyed with a glass of your favorite wine. The book and the wine will enhance your experience. I have an extra copy of “California Wine Country: Impression in Oil” by Erin Hanson that was sent to me by the publisher. I am offering readers of this article a chance to win this book. Here is all you have to do. Sign up for our email subscription list (we do not share your email). The sign-up email form is at the bottom left of this Web page. Secondly, write one or two sentences about Paso Robles wine country. Those who are already on our email list also qualify by entering a comment.  We will run this one-book giveaway contest until the end of the day on September 3.  The winner will be chosen by a random drawing and be announced the following day.

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country, Wine art Tagged With: Art and Wine Tour, Erin Hanson

Brecon Estate – shifting wine styles on Vineyard Drive

April 3, 2015 by Joe Becerra

Brecon Estate

Brecon Estate stands where the old Norman Winery existed

Brecon Estate is where the Norman Monster Zin once roamed

One of the old standby Paso Robles wineries, Norman Vineyards, sold its facilities and vineyards on Vineyard Drive in 2013. It is now Brecon Estate, with a totally different approach to winemaking.   The Norman winery continues to operate in a warehouse area of Paso Robles. In 2014, Brecon Estate opened the newly-remodeled tasting room. There are some big plans for making the area even more comfortable for the wine tasting crowd. But for now the tasting room is very sleek and modern with beautiful artwork displayed on the walls. The room is bright and inviting. The best part of the Brecon Estate are the wines. We spent three days tasting wines in Paso Robles, mostly at the latest wineries to open their doors in the area.  Overall, we thought the wines at Brecon Estate were the most delicious of the wines we tasted. The winemaker is Damian Grindley, a veteran of 20 years of making wines around the globe. We started with the Albariño wine. The grapes come from vineyards very near the Pacific Ocean, within two miles of the ocean according to our server. This is so similar to the climate conditions of  the famous Albariño region of Spain, Rias Baixas. The Rias Baixas wine region is just off the Atlantic Ocean. The Brecon Estate Albariño in my estimation is the best California Albariño I have tasted. There is a certain richness to the wine, but the appealing acidity and citrus characters of this great Spanish wine grape are not sacrificed. Another white we enjoyed was the Conviction, a Rhone blend of Viognier, Marsanne, and Rousanne. It is a joy.  All the red wines we tasted were perfectly balanced, with a great velvety mouthfeel.  The Brecon Zinfandel was our top red choice, so vastly different in style from the popular Norman Monster Zinfandel. The reds were all in the mid-14 percent alcohol range. These are all delicate and approachable wines to be enjoyed with food. The prices for the wines are in the premium range, above $40 for the reds, and the white wines in the mid-twenties. We miss the old Elvis cutout at Norman and the informal atmosphere of the tasting room. Brecon Estate is more Napa Valley like. Is this a good thing for Paso Robles wine country?

Along Vineyard Drive there are several other wineries nearby to visit. We have outlined our favorites on the Vineyard Drive Wine Trail. It is a good idea to pack a lunch because picnicking at Paso Robles wineries is encouraged. At Brecon Estate, sip a glass of Albariño with your deli lunch along side the vineyards. Life can’t get much better than this.

Additional Paso Robles wine country details

  • Dining in Paso Robles
  • Lodging in Paso Robles
  • Paso Robles wine map

Brecon Estate Slide Show

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country Tagged With: Brecon Estate, California Albarino, Norman Vineyards

Girls Weekend in Paso Robles

April 22, 2014 by Julie Thompson

Just three hours south of the San Francisco Bay Area lies a wine region worthy of a weekend visit- Paso Robles.  I first discovered Paso Robles on a road trip to southern California.  Paso was my halfway point, so a stop at Opolo, one of my favorite wineries, was in order.  This stop started my fascination with Paso Robles wineries and wines.  This wine region is laid back and all about the wine experience.  The less commercial the winery, the better the experience.  You will leave with a full trunk of fabulous wines to share back home!

Girls Weekend in Paso Robles

This particular weekend was a girls’ winetasting weekend.  We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, which is walking distance to the downtown area.  Elvis at the front desk gave great recommendations for just about everything. On this trip, we visited ten wineries in three days and spent day two with the Grapeline Wine Shuttle (thanks to Elvis!).  Here are some things to know before venturing out on your Paso wine weekend:

  1. Know the maximum number of wineries you can handle in one day and plan accordingly.  Everyone is different. My maximum is three.  After that, my palate is shot.
  2. The wineries in Paso are spread out. Choose one area to focus on per day.
  3. Many of the wineries serve really good food and some even have full service restaurants. (It was also very easy for me to accommodate my gluten allergy.)
  4. If you have time for a full day wine shuttle tour, or it’s your first time in Paso, do it. The wine shuttles are a great way to try out one of the wine areas and they are a lot of fun. You also have a built-in designated driver.
  5. College kids have given me the best advice about the wineries and wine shuttles. This includes over the phone, at Red Brick Pizza, and in the tasting rooms. Ask them for their recommendations of just about anything.
  6. Navigation and cell phones will not work in many of the wineries and on the backroads. Make sure you have an old-school map and a sense of adventure!
  7. Dinners can be surprisingly pricey in Paso.

Day 1: Scenic Tour of the West Side

Daou: We began the weekend up at Daou off of Adelaida.  Daou sits above the valley with an incredible view and Spanish-style grounds.  There is restaurant service in the members’ area.  I highly recommend the 2012 Grenache Blanc and the 2012 Unbound.  The food in the members’ area is very good, especially the cheese board.  Daou tends to follow the tasting list, so don’t expect extra tastes or to revisit anything that you previously tasted.

From Daou, we headed out to Opolo without great directions and no navigation.  Luckily, my brother-in-law had suggested Justin and we happened to be on Chimney Rock Road.  Justin is the last winery on the map before you reach a military area.  So, unknown to us, we chose wisely when we stopped!  At first, Justin seemed a bit formal and LA sleek with its maître d’ stand, black and white motif and elegant clean lines.  However, once we were brought to our tasting area, the atmosphere became very laid back.  All of the servers were super friendly and struck up conversations with the patrons.  The wines were delicious and higher end in price and quality.  My favorite was the 2011 Isosceles.  Our server, Blair, invited us to some off-list tastings and asked if we would like to revisit anything.  She really knew her wines, gave us excellent directions and a map to Opolo, and recommended some fantastic restaurants.  Justin also has a bed and breakfast and a restaurant on the property.

Opolo delights

Opolo delights

Opolo: Opolo is one of my wine clubs.  I joined because of the 2011 Montagna-Mare and I have remained a
member because of their wines and their fantastic hospitality. Opolo is located on Vineyard Dr. It has a beautiful outdoor patio with huge tables for enjoying wine and a fire grilled pizza or cevapi sausage platter. Zak took great care of us at Opolo. Not only was he very generous with the tastings, he also helped me choose a magnum of Mountain Zinfandel for my father’s birthday present. In fact, you could say that Zak customized our tasting!  My favorites were the Chardonnay and Tempranillo. We returned for lunch on Sunday before heading back to the Bay Area. Opolo is a “must visit” destination when in Paso.

Day 2: The Grapeline Experience

The Grapeline was one of those “college kid” recommendations that did not disappoint. A full day on the Grapeline includes your lunch, all of your tastings, transportation, and, of course, the charming driver/wine expert. They also did a good job of making sure that the “right people got on the bus.” We had a fantastic experience with Dave at the helm. He made sure that we stayed on schedule, ate lunch and, most importantly, had fun! Dave even jumped in to give us some of the wine education from time to time. By the end of the day, we were a cohesive group of twelve wine-enthusiast friends! How could you not be? (Note: The Grapeline also accommodated my gluten allergy for lunch. I was able to eat everything in the box from the cheese and crackers to the sandwich to the dessert.) 

The Grapeline took us to four different wineries located on the east side of Highway 46:

Vineyards at Hall

Vineyards at Hall

Robert Hall: Robert Hall is a beautiful property with large spaces for groups and a beautiful fountain.
They create Rhone-style wines and have had the same winemaker since 2001.  Our group liked the 2012 Zinfandel and the 2011 Orange Muscat. Melinda added a couple of extra pours based on the group’s requests and asked us about revisiting previous tastes.

Pear Valley:  Pear Valley is another beautiful property with terraces for picnics and private rooms inside the main building.  The wines were very good and more Italian in style.  Our driver/wine expert Dave jumped in to teach us about the Pear Valley wines.   I recommend asking your guide or server to choose the wines for you.  We were handed a list of nineteen wines and told to choose six for the tasting, which was quite overwhelming.  Pear Valley boasts one of the only 100% Chenin Blancs in the area.  The 2010 Malbec and 2010 Caberbet Franc were hits with our group, as was the 2010 Belle Fin, a Cabernet Franc port-style wine.  This property could be visited over two days just due to the number of wines available to taste.

Sculpterra wonders

Sculpterra wonders

Sculpterra: The front of Sculpterra’s property is peppered with Dali-esque statues of animals, hence
the name.  The statues are giant, curvy animals with a mixed metal look to them.  Once inside the tasting room, we were greeted by Pablo.  Pablo was very knowledgeable of the wines and added two additional tastings at the group’s request.  The winery pays homage to their field workers with the 2012 Héroe Pinot Noir.  My personal favorites were the 2013 Viognier and the 2009 Maquette, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend.  Sculpterra also rated high marks on hospitality and social justice.

Cass:  Cass was the final destination on our wine tour for the day.  This winery has an expansive outdoor patio and a full restaurant indoors.  We tasted mostly white wines at Cass, such as the 2013 Rousanne and 2011 Rockin’ One Blanc.   Most people in the group liked the wines.  As this was the fourth winery of the day, my palate was a bit shot.

Day 3: Random Friends and Family Suggestion Day along Highway 46 West

On this final day of wine tasting, we headed out at 10:30am to start the day:

Turley:  Turley is known for its high-end Zinfandels.  They have a main tasting menu and then a reserve tasting that you can add on for $5.  The Zinfandels are delicious.  I like the 2012 Dusi Zinfandel the best.  Our server invited us to a few extra tastings and some Toscano cheese that paired well with the wines.  She even introduced us to Templeton, the winery cat.  Their Pesanti label 2012 Red Velvet blend was very good.  It is not a special occasion wine, but a very good weekday wine.

Wines of Jack Cellars

Wines of Jack Cellars

 Jack Creek Cellars:  Jack Creek Cellars by far had the best Pinot Noirs.  The Jack Creek Cellars
tasting room is family owned and located on the same property as both the vineyard and the residence.  In fact, we did not know it at the time, but the winemaker poured us our second Chardonnay.  This is another winery that is big on hospitality, good directions and the wine experience.  The 2011 Concrete Blond Chardonnay, aged in cement, was a hit as was the 2012 Reserve Pinot Noir (members-only wine).  In fact, the 2012 Reserve Pinot Noir is quite possibly the best Pinot Noir that I have ever tasted.  This tasting room is very small and cozy.  It is located on Jack Creek Road off of Highway 46 West.  If you go east when leaving the winery, you will eventually hit Vineyard Drive.

Chronic Cellars: Chronic was our last stop for this trip.  It is located on Nacimiento Lake Drive.  Like Sculpterra, this winery also has an art-wine theme.  “Day of the Dead” style art adorns both the wine bottles and the tasting room.  Chronic has two picnic areas and is dog friendly.  The wines are also quite good, with names like Sofa King Bed, Suite Petite and Tranquilo.  Tranquilo, a port-style wine, was the winner of the day.  Chronic is definitely on the list of places to revisit in the future!

Cheers to you and your Paso Robles wine experience!

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country Tagged With: Cass winery, Chronic Cellars, Daou, Grapeline Wine Shuttle, Jack Creek Cellars, Justin winery, Opolo, Pear Valley, Robert Hall, Sculpterra, Turley winery

Paso Robles – Highway 46 East Wineries – Quick Getaway

June 19, 2012 by Joe Becerra

Highway 101 divides the Paso Robles wineries from East to West. Many of these wineries are located on spectacular backroad country on both sides of 101, very scenic and peaceful. Those wineries are mostly far off and take a bit of exploring. If you are short on time, try the wineries that parallel Highway 46 East. We paid a visit last Sunday to four wineries on the very busy Highway 46 East.

The first winery we visited was the Broken Earth winery that took over the facilities vacated by the EOS Winery. EOS Winery was purchased a couple of years ago by Foley Family Wines. The group moved the winery operations to another area of Paso Robles. The Broken Earth winery redid the color scheme and the picnic area, and it looks beautiful. The tasting room is spacious. We tasted several of the wines and felt that they were good but none that wowed us enough to purchase any for home. Although the picnic area is beautiful, the traffic noise from Highway 46 is somewhat unsettling.

Picnic area at Broken Earth

Picnic area at Broken Earth

Read More »

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country Tagged With: Chumeia, Highway 46 East, Paso Robles, Rockin R Winery, Tobin James

Which are the best wineries to visit in Paso Robles?

August 18, 2011 by Joe Becerra

We first posted our Paso Robles Wine Trails section on WineCountryGetaways.com in 2004. Maybe at that time there were 100 wineries in the area. Since that time, the area has experienced astonishing growth and now the number of wineries stands at over 200. The last couple of years, we have visited the Paso Robles wine country on several trips with the goal of revising and adding wine trails to our Paso Robles wine region.

When we first began exploring Paso Robles, the wine region was most noted for its big and bold Zinfandel wines. Peachy Canyon, Tobin James and a few others were gaining attention and popularity for their Zinfandel wines. But things are changing, and particularly on the Westside of 101, with many wineries concentrating on Rhone-style wines. The pioneer winery in this area is the Tablas Creek Winery. They imported the rootstock of several Rhone varieties from France and planted them on land they felt was similar in soil and climate to that of southern France. Tablas Creek has a nursery, and local wineries can purchase budwood and grafted vines to pursue the making of Rhone wines.

Read More »

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country, Wine Information Tagged With: Paso Robles Wine Country, Paso Robles winery, Wine Country Getaways

Turtle Rock Willow Creek Cuvée rocks in Paso Robles

May 31, 2011 by Joe Becerra

Note: Since the writing of this article, Westberg and Turtle Rock are closed.

Rarely do I get overly excited about a wine, but in this case, I must write and rave about a wine I discovered while in Paso Robles a couple of weeks ago. Janelle and I were traveling the backroads of Paso Robles on the west side of Highway 101. We stumbled upon a winery by the name of Westberg Cellars. It is a very hidden winery and for whatever reason, the winery is not listed in the local wine guide produced by the Paso Robles Wine Alliance.

Don Burns of Turtle Rock Vineyards and Westberg Cellars

Read More »

Filed Under: Paso Robles Wine Country Tagged With: Don Burns, Paso Robles Wine Country, The Wine Travelers, Turtle Rock Vineyard Willow Creek Cuvee, Westberg Cellars, Willow Creek Cuvee

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Latest from the Blog

  • 13 Reasons to Visit a Working Winery
  • Tracking Down Old Vine Zinfandel
  • Russian River Valley
    Russian River Valley Wine Country
  • Paso Robles Big Three Wineries
  • Where to go in California Wine Country 2023
-->

CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY REGIONS:

Carneros • Livermore • Lodi • Mendocino • Monterey • Napa Valley • Paso Robles • Santa Barbara County • Santa Cruz Mts. • Sierra Foothills • Russian River • Sonoma Valley

Connect With Us

Want to keep up with Wine Country Getaways? Follow us across our social networks!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Sign up for wine country news from Janelle and Joe

* indicates required

Copyright © 2023 · Wine COuntry Getaways

 

Loading Comments...