Trip to Paso Robles

Hi,
A long overdue vacation will find me in the Paso Robles area starting this weekend. I have scoured through the WLDG archives for wines to taste, places to eat etc..and I have found some gems . But, if anyone has any more pointers to add, it would be much appreciated and probably heeded!
Thanks
Shaji

Even if the huge wines from Tobin James turn you off (I love 'em), the Sun Room in their guesthouse is an incredible place to crash. We also like Eberle and EOS on the East side, and just about every place on the West side. The caves at Eberle are a neat place to bring a video camera and make some home movies.

Hug Cellars makes some very nice wines that are attractively priced. They are right off Hwy. 46 near the 101. http://www.hugcellars.com/index.php

Le Cuvier is a great place with some interesting wines. A drive along Vineyard Road is terrific. http://www.lcwine.com

If you like Pinot, Windward is worth a visit. http://www.windwardvineyard.com

And Pipestone is a lovely site to wander.. I know Jenise has her views on this winery too.. family owned and dedicated to sustainable farming.. http://www.pipestonevineyards.com

Carl & James,
Muchas gracias for the input. I will be in that area for almost a week. Time and sobriety permitting, I hope to post my impressions here.

Carl & James,
Muchas gracias for the input. I will be in that area for almost a week. Time and sobriety permitting, I hope to post my impressions here.

You are very welcome. I echo James and Jenise on Pipestone. A very unique place with wonderful wine. Also on the West side we love Peachy Canyon and Berardo Vineyards (formaly AJB). Their Zin could be the best ever. Haven't mentioned the obvious: Justin and Tablas Creek. If you have the time and resources, go.

[Jenise]

Haven't mentioned the obvious: Justin and Tablas Creek. If you have the time and resources, go.

A dissenting opinion? Justin's commercial success has gone to its head, so only stop here if you have the time and inclination to endure a lot of smug corporate speechifyin'. Tablas Creek (Beaucastel's Paso property), on the other hand, has IMO a lot more right to be smug but they aren't at all. Our experience there was small and personal, and they poured an excellent array of wines. It (and Pipestone) were my favorite stops of the weekend we spent in Paso.

Tablas Creek (Beaucastel's Paso property), on the other hand, has IMO a lot more right to be smug but they aren't at all. Our experience there was small and personal, and they poured an excellent array of wines.

Not enough PR experience to offer comparative opinions, but I'll agree with Jenise that TC was personal, informed, and enthusiastic. We stopped on our way south from Napa, I liked far more than any of the Napa rooms we visited.

Pipestone and Tablas Creek are definitely on my list. Justin, I might visit and risk the smugness just to see what all the fuss in the Wine Spectacle was about. I am also planning a day in Cambria and another in Cayucos. The children have been promised 2 days at the beach.

Shaji

I spent about a week in Paso Robles about 4 years ago. I definitely agree with the Tablas Creek comment. I particularly enjoyed their white wines. By way of background, Beaucastel own a share of the vineyard or are in a JV so they have a great partner. I also really enjoyed the Windward pinots mentioned above. We brought home with us two of their engraved Riedel pinot glasses, so they are often in our thoughts. In terms of cab sav, I really enjoyed L'aventure. They make excellent balanced reds. I found Justin overrated and was not impressed with their ISOSCELES, over extracted and some what porty muck.

Saxum is worth tracking down if you can find any. They make excellent Rhone styled reds. The charming owner of the Sows Ear in Cambria put me on to them. http://www.thesowsear.com/ If you are staying in Cambria, definitely try to get to this restaurant. The food was superb and the owner is a complete wine nut who will happily pull up a chair and chat about her favourite topic (wine) all night. You know when you have met a fellow pointy head when they start pulling out glasses of their favourite stuff to share with you. I would suggest trying to get in here early as they are an excellent source of information on who is really hot in the area and who should be avoided.

Finally don't miss the Heast Castle. This is still one of the surreal museum visits I have had anywhere. Its a blast to look at the original king size beds and hear who used to shack up in them away from the public eye. The grand dining room is also a hoot with its tomato sauce and cigarettes lined up and down the table.

I am also planning a day in Cambria and another in Cayucos. The children have been promised 2 days at the beach.

Plan on getting to Cayucos hungry. If the smokehouse (Rudds?) is still around, it was excellent. Killer tacos.

Jenise, Mark, Dale,
Great suggestions. Thank you.

[Jenise]

Finally don't miss the Hearst Castle. This is still one of the surreal museum visits I have had anywhere. Its a blast to look at the original king size beds and hear who used to shack up in them away from the public eye. The grand dining room is also a hoot with its tomato sauce and cigarettes lined up and down the table.

Couldn't agree more. Went there for the first time long long ago, but post-Patty Hearst/Symbianese Liberation Army, and enjoyed the first tour we took so incredibly and unexpectedly much that we decided to stay an extra two days to take the extra two tours. We turned out to be the only guests on the second tour and our guide was a older local man who had actually been a direct employee of Hearst and who then got hired by the state when the property was given to them in the 50's. He had been there when Clark Gable and Carol Lombard stayed the night, for instance, and he loved to dish on those times to anyone with a running knowledge of movie stars of the time, which in fact I was, so he showed us a lot of things he doesn't normally show people because he doesn't have the time and they typically don't have the inclination. At his urging, we blew off the 3rd tour and he basically personally conducted that one for us, too, and he took us inside Patty's own guest house, for instance--stuff no one ever sees. I thought it was just going to be some fabulous old house, but it was so much more.

We spend the last night in Morgan Hill and drove down to Paso this morning. It is beautiful country with rolling ochre hills and blobs of oak trees all over. Right off Hwy 46, heading east towards where we are staying, we made a stop at Barrel 27. It is actually right next to Hug Cellars. Both tasting rooms are in a strip mall kind of place. We went to Barrel 27 today and decided to go to Hug in one of the coming days. We are pacing ourselves
Barrel 27:
2009 Sittin Pretty Viognier - 100 % Viognier, steel fermented, all kinds of citrus and stones. Crisp, dry and pleasant acidity.
2008 High on the Hog White- Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne - gorgeous floral nose, lots of peaches, lemons, honey. A tad bit more body and sweeter than the Viognier, but a beautiful wine.
2005 Central Coast Rose of Syrah- dry wine with roses, oranges and complexity. $84 for a case!!
2007 Rock and a Hard place Grenache- deep red colored, lots of berries, some cocoa and black tea going on here.
2006 Right Hand Man, Central Coast Syrah- Very easy to like this one- berries, smoke, earth, anise. Yum.
2007 Head Honcho Syrah- This is a big wine. Again with berries, chocolate wrapped in some tannin. Would be interesting in a few years.
2007 Hand over Fist- GSM wine with figs and black currants.
2006 Bull by the Horns- The Tempranllo in tis one is very obvious (blended with Petit Verdot and Syrah- so, it could be called a Rhonish, Bordeaux, Spanish blend). another big wine with prominent tannins and spices
2008 Head over Heels Moscato- not at all goopy sweet. In fact this is a light wine. Breezy with melons, peaches and honey.

EberleDown the road on 46 East. We stayed here for lunch under shaded pergola with a vista-view of the estate. Reminded to some extent like Valreas from Clos Petite Bellane.
We liked-
Full Boar Red- Non Vintage with Cab, Sangiovese, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Madeiro (pretty much the whole kitchen sink) thrown in. Easy drinking wine.
2008 Barbera- raspberries and cherries, nice acidity
2007 Zinfandel- Blended with Zinfandel from Steinbeck Vineyards down the road, this is a really nice expression. Not overly big.
2007 Syrah Steinbeck Vineyard - Meat, peppery wine with blueberries thrown in. Good syrah.
2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon- This is a really nice with cassis, currants, eucalyptus (!) and spice. Nicely done.

The kids wanted to jump in the pool. And after a long drive yesterday, we decided to call it a day. More hopefully tomorrow.
Some places are only open on weekends. Sometime this week, we will drive to the coast. Mark, thank you for the great suggestions. Jenise and you are making a great case to visit Hearst Castle. Maybe when we head to Cambria, I will take a vote and see if rest of the tribe want to head to San Simeon. It should make a beautiful drive.

Started out at Thacher winery. We liked:
2006 Zinfandel- There is a lot going on here - cola, cherries, berries, woody. But this is quite well balanced.
2007 Syrah-(Paso Robles) smoky, meaty, blueberries
2006 Syrah (Monterey)- very approachable now, much more fuller bodied than the Syrah above, spicy with chocolate and cherries. Delicious.

On a whim, we stopped at Chateau Margene. They also make a Grenache Blanc (2009) and a Petit Sirah under the Mooney label which were very nice. But, the focus here seems to be Bordeaux blends. And they do it very well. Particularly a 2007 Cabernet and a 2005 Reserve Cabernet were outstanding.

Dover Canyon. Across the board they make fine wines here, but the Zinfandels stand out.
2007 Tre Noce (Zin/Syrah) was quite peppery and had nice anise notes.
2007 Reserve Zin showed berries and chocolate.
2008 Old Vine Zin from the Dusi Vineyard was impressive with it's strawberries and spice. Beautiful nose.
2008 Thunder Zinfandel- by the time we reached this Zin, we were expecting something similar but this one felt lighter in body and on the palate despite the name. A rustic wine, I liked it.
2008 Cujo Zin- big zin. Although it seemed to be aimed at the mainstream Zin market, it was quite elegant actually. It was Jason Stratham while avoiding to be Steven Seagal.
2007 Zin Port- Not a stand out but quite nicely done with hints of chocolate and smoke.
There was also a 2008 Petit Sirah with hardly any tannins! I had to ask again if it was a 2008.

Picked up some great sandwiches from Farmstand 46 and headed out to Pipestone.
Gorgeous location and equally beautiful wines.
2006 Rhone Style Red was an interesting interpretation of a CdP. Well balanced without hammering you on the head. Easy drinkable wine.
2007 Grenache- dark red, lots of berries and spice. I can see this going well with some tandoori chicken.
2006 Zin- pepper and spice.
2006 Syrah- Another elegantly done wine. Good fruits and tannins.

We finished a rather unhurried lunch at Pipestone and as we were about to pull out of Pipestone, decided to turn right and check out Dunning Vineyards. The last winery on that road, you have take 1/4 mile of dirt road to get there. The focus here is Cab blends. With only 2600 case per year production, they do it well.

2007 Vin de casa (Cab Franc/Zin/Syrah) is an easy drinker. Pleasant acidiy. I can easily drink this with all kinds of food
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon- Another good example of Paso Cab with cassis, cocoa, cola and a long finish.
Dunning also made a Reserve Syrah and Zin which seemed good but had a touch more of oak than I preferred. They may become interesting in a few years.

Heading back to base camp, we decided to stop downtown and try Anglim. The pourer was disinterested, had no clue about what she was pouring. We were a little a fatigued. It was probably a mix of both, but the wines failed to stand out.
2006 Cameo ( Rousanne/Marsanne/Viognier)- hardly any nose. hint of peaches and pine and then it falls flat
2007 Pinot Noir (Bien Nacido)- earth and smole and roses but again the finish fails
2007 Rousanne- Pine and spice. This was much nicer
2007 Zinfandel- St. Peter of Alcantara- Chocolate and spice, peppery. Almost jammy but not over the top. Liked it.

Got back in time so the kids can get back in the pool. Almost the end of another beautiful day.

Great notes! Glad to hear it's been a good trip.

Made the short drive to San Miguel. Driving along San Marcos Road, decided to stop at Rabbit Ridge. Ostentatious Tuscan villa like place looked out of place here. But the wines are really good. Most are made in a bigger style and are remarkable values.
2007 Texas Road Ranch Zinfandel is very elegant, chocolates and berries.
2005 Cote Rotie Syrah- Not having tried more than 2 bottles of Cote Rotie in all my life, I cannot say if this is a good imitation but it was delicious - smoke and spice.
2005 Bunny Cuvee- despite the irreverent name, this one is an interesting blend of Cab Franc/Petite Sirah/Petit Verdot. Deep purplish with a very nice nose.
2006 3 Clusters Rouge de Vine- This is a silky, smooth wine with Mourvedre/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon/Petite Sirah. Very well done.

Down the road on San Marcos is Caparone. It was shaping up to be a very warm day today and we found a patch of shade. The tasting room doubles as the barrell room (like many places here). Dave Caparone was pouring the wine. A very honestly brusque person, he merely poured and let his wine speak for themselves. None of his wines are blended. All except the Cabernet Sauvignon (French Camp) and Merlot (Bien Nacido) are estate. All his wines have less than 14% alcohol. All have beautiful acidity and immensely drinkable. All his wines were trusly rustic and had that "Euro-funk" to them that added to their personality. We liked all his wines - Cabernet, Sangiovese, Zinfanded, Merlot, Nebbiolo and Aglianico. I have never had an Aglianico before, but if this is how it is supposed to taste, I want more of it.

Continuing along the loop of the roads and heading towards Hwy 46, we saw that Starr Ranch Vineyard was open. We decided that this is where will stop for our lunch break. The wines are outstanding. Judy Starr, grower/winemaker did the pouring. A very unpretentious person, she did little to hype her wines. She didn't need to. The highlights were:
2007 Orion- A Tempranillo blend (with Zin?). Quite spicy, big body, certainly a BBQ wine
2007 Grenache- Fragrant, well rounded, berry rich.
2007 Cab Sauvignon- Chocolate, berries, spicy. They certainly make good cabs in Paso.
2008 Rousanne- Pineapple, citrus. great food wine.

Deodoro Cellars was sharing the tasting room with Starr-Ranch. Bob, the winemaker was quite eager to pour us his creations. We were more than happy to oblige!
The 2007 Cab Sauvignon- incredibly made wine with notes of coffee, tea leaves and spice
2007 Syrah - fruit coming from cooler Monterey makes for an aormatic, smooth, peppery wine.
2007 Nepenthe- a blended wine (cant remember which ones) is an easy drinking red
2008 Chardonnay- I didn't think I would like when Bob started describing the wine, but its pineapple, vanilla and citrus blended seamlessly. I liked it.

By the way, Starr Ranch also grows persimmons. Dried persimmons are addicitive.

I was good for more exploration today but the howls of protest from my fellow companions persuaded me to call it a day. 3 for 3 is not bad. So, I can't complain.

Great notes! Glad to hear it's been a good trip.

Thanks Mike. It has been beautiful here. Even the warmer temp yesterday was not a damper. Probably on Saturday, over zealousness led to trying more places (six) than the human body and palate can (or should handle). Three is perfect. Four is touching, at least my limit.

Another warm day dawned in Paso Robles. We started at Tablas Creek. Every one says they make great wines. The weight of expectations lay upon it. And they didn’t disappoint. We liked:
2007 Grenache Blanc – granny smith apples, spicy, long finish
2006 Espirit de Beaucastel Blanc- aromatic nose, tropical fruits. It was served at room temperature and this was simply a beautiful wine.
As Mark mentioned earlier, the whites from this estate are beautiful. The reds don’t disappoint one bit.
2006 Grenache- Full of fruit, cherries and tea and earth
2006 Esprit de Beaucastel- very approachable now. Well rounded and soft
2007 Esprit de Beaucastel- The first bottle was corked. The second was better. A younger wine compared to the the 2006, the tannins were more prominent.
2007 Syrah- Meaty wine with berries , firm tannins. Well done.
2009 Rose- Mourvedre/Grenache- strawberries and cherries, dry. A very Paella wine!
2007 Cote de Tablas- A CdR versio based arounf Grenache, this is a very easy to like wine which should go with a wide variety of cuisines.
They also do the stickies well.
2006 Vin de Paille 100% Rousanne- Honey and apricots. Good stuff.

Up the road from Tablas is Adelaida Cellars. No shade to park but the tasting room was cool and the pourer was very informative. We liked most of what was being poured:
2008 Viognier Glenrose Vineyrad- good body, great floral nose, peaches and honey. Delicious
2007 Syrah Anna's Estate- A very well structured wine with tobacco, spice and firm tannins.
2006 Syrah Glenrose Reserve- Older vines, this is a very concentrated wine. Lots going on here
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon- Quite a light bodied wine with great peppery nose, nice acidity and fruit.
2009 Vin Gris de Pinot Noir- Interesting rose. Not dry but not a cloying sweet wine either. Earthy and floral. Pretty wine.
2007 Pinot Noir HMR Estate- Sexy wine. Yes, it is from Paso Robles considering how warm it gets but apparently this vineyard is at some elevation at gets cooled well. Cherries, spice, flowers and earth.
1996 Cabernet Sauvignon- brick red, with cinnamon and cherries. A 14 year old wine was a treat today.

We stopped for lunch at Pasolivo. Lots of oak trees and shade and a good break from the wineries. Olive oil tasting from the 2009 vintage.
California Blend- A lighter, milder version, grassy with minimal bite and bitterness
Pasolivo Blend- deeper in hue, peppery bite in the back of the throat, slightly bitter
Infused oils include- Citrus, Lemon, Lime, Tangarine.

On the way back, we stopped at Hug Cellars. The Hugs themselves were in the Bay Area and they had someone else pouring today. The list was limited but almost everything they had was very good. The wines are restrained and very well done.
We liked:
2009 XOXO Rose (Grenache/Syrah /Mourvedre)- Not a dry rose but it is a delicious rose with a slightly citrusy bitter end.
2008 el Pape (Grenache/Syrah /Mourvedre )- Berries and chocolate. Well rounded wine.
Two Pinot Noirs (2007) were poured. Both were earthy with roses and a long finish.
2007 Cushman Vineyard Zinfandel- chocolate and blackberries. A big wine compared to the other wines.

If anybody asks where the party(in Paso at least) is at, the anwer is unequivocally is at Tobin James. With time on our side, we decided to go east on 46 until we reached their tasting room. Tobin James has the atmosphere of a saloon and the wines are unabashedly big. The tasting notes on the scrib sheet say little about nose and nuances. But it is a fun place and we were flanked by tasters who were all club members. This was a happy place (Thanks Carl) and I can understand why it is so well liked. We liked:
2006 Sangiovese- good acidity, delicious, big wine
2006 Refosco- enough fruit and tannin to hold its own with some barbequed lamb. Big wine.
2007 Zinfandel, Dusi Vineyard- berries, long finish. Big zin.
2006 Cab Sauvignon- Thrown into this midst with irreverence, but this is a well made wine. Nose of cedar and smoke, chocolate and berries. Very nicely done.
2007 Chateau Le Cacheflo- Again, the name betrays flippancy but this is a very likeable everyday food wine.
All the Tobin James wines are big and not something I could drink every day. But they are certainly fun and definitely something I can have every so often.

Certainly a day of contrasts and immensely enjoyable.

Very glad you had a good time at Tobin James. Just hope Jenise doesn't find out!

Cheers, Carl

As you head out towards the coast on Hwy 46 West, Niner is on the right. The tasting room is a very classy affair. The pourer was a very nice gal who knew about all the wines they were pouring. The wines were all very nicely done, restrained, not overblown and I liked them all. Most of the Niner wines come from the Bootjack Ranch which is in east Paso Robles. We liked particularly:
2008 Sauvignon Blanc- grassy, citrusy, lemony, pleasant tartness, good finish
2008 Sangiovese Rosato- dry, strawberries, pomegranate, citrusy.
2006 Syrah- berries, pepper, good tannins
2006 Fog Catcher- fragrant, Bordeaux blend, fruit forward, nice peppery bite.

We spend most of the morning at the Hearst Castle. Interesting place indeed. Also, driving on PCH1 is always a treat. At San Simeon, we had to pull over to make sure we actually were seeing zebras by the side of the road! We also made a pit stop in Cambria to stop and admire the craggy shore line and give my kids some time to collect some sea shells. We made it back to Paso before some of the tasting rooms closed.

Right behind the Farmstand 46 is Four Vines. Solid line-up of wines. We liked:
2007 Biker Zinfandel- Anise on the nose and palate, the grapes come partly from Dusi.
2007 Peasant- a GSM blend. Big wine. Very smooth and easy to drink wine.

Just before their tasting room closed, we snuck into Peachy Canyon winery. They are known for their Zins and they do a damn fine job too! These are not big goopy wines . They have an impressive line up. The following stood out:
2007 Especial Zin
2007 Vortex Zin
2007 Old School House Zin
Besides Zinfandels, they made a really good Malbec (Ms Behave) and really yummy, well structured and aptly named Cabernet, 2007 DeVine Cabernet Sauvignon.

Good night.

[Jenise]

Very glad you had a good time at Tobin James. Just hope Jenise doesn't find out!

Cheers, Carl

Hey, as I love to say: you're never wrong about the wines you like. And I'm just not man enough to like Tobin James.

Doce Robles is a 40 acre winery on your right, soon as you exit on Hwy 46 west. We went there because we heard it through the local grapewine that they had a litter of German Shepherds and my daughter really wanted to see them. It gave us an excuse for trying their wines. We liked:
2005 Robles Rojos (Cab Sauv/Cab Franc/Merlot) blend- very nicely made, easy to drink
2005 Syrah-bluberries, chocolate.
2007 Tempranillo- bold wine, good mouthfeel, smoky, chocolate.
NV Sunset Red- non vintage table wine- cherries, meaty, good acidity.
The puppies (six of them) were very cute too.

From here we headed to Turley. Only 5 wines were being poured. All beautiful and complex . Most except for the 2005 Petite Sirah came from old vines. The Zins were the standouts:
2008 California Old Vine Zins- easy drinking wine
2007 Zinfandel, Pesenti Vineyards- raspberryish, great mouthfeel and long finish
2007 Zinfandel, Ueberroth Vineyard- Another spectacular old vine Zin, my favorite of the line up. Loads of berries and chocolate, with eucalyptus and mint. Delicious.

Cayucos was sunny and it was beautiful day. My children did not want to leave the beach. We lunched at Ridell’s Smokehouse (Thanks Dale). Ridell’s is a hole in the wall right on the beach. There are a few places to sit on the sidewalk outside. We tried amongst ourselves – the smoked Salmon tuna, the smoked Albacore taco and the smoked Ono (a kind of tuna) taco. All delicious and highly recommended. It was with great reluctance, my kids left Cayucos.

On the way back, we stopped downtown and tried some of Edward Sellers wines. The wines here were all excellent. Hard to pick a favorite-. We liked:
2007 Edward Sellers Blanc du Rhone(Roussanne/Marsanne/Viognier) fruit forward, peachy wine.
2006 Syrah Selectionnee- 100 % Syrah from 5 different vineyards, this is a very elegant wine with cocoa, berries, firm tannins
2007 Edward Sellers Cuvee des Cinq- This one has lots of good things going on. A wine you want to linger over. Berries, peppery. Yum.
2007 Edward Sellers Cognito – (Mourvedre/Zinfandel/Syrah/Grenache)- Another plush wine. Juicy with a dash of pepper
2008 Rose- I cannot remember which fruit, but this was another one from Paso that begs for a longer Summer and cravings of Paella!

We thought we were done but driving along on Union Road, we turned into Maloy O’Neill. Located on a hill with expansive views of Paso, my sole complaint would have been absence of shade. The wines here are made with care and are full of fruit. However some of the wines have alcohol levels that are getting up there! But we certainly liked:
2005 Essere Grato (Aglianico/Sangiovese/Syrah)
2005 Merlot- very beautifully done wine, loads of fruit, acid and a long finish.
2005 Lexicon- an unusual blend (Cab Sauv/Pinot Noir/Syrah/Sangiovese/Lagrein) but it all comes together really well.

Another fab day but this vacation is drawing to a close..

Many thanks for all the notes, I'm thinking of heading there later this summer...

Great notes, tolerant wife and kids too!!