Wine tasting guide for Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles wine country is located roughly mid-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. What once was a little-known area for good value Rhône and Bordeaux-style varietals is turning into a burgeoning wine destination. Paso is California’s fastest growing AVA.
This is partially due to the county’s welcoming laws for small and large winemakers to start their operation and in part to due to the quality of wines increasing dramatically. Plus, as Napa and Sonoma continue to grow in prestige and cost, wine tourism eagerly seeks out a more under-the-radar locale.
Paso Robles AVA information
Paso Robles was established in 1983 and was once the largest un-subdivided AVA in California at over 600,000 acres. Now, it’s broken up into 11 distinct areas.
- Total wineries: 200+
- Soils: Primarily bedrock-driven; weathered granite, volcanic, marine sedimentary. A lot of these soils retain water extremely well, making it possible for many producers to dry-farm, even in a warm climate with low average rainfall.
- Climate: Continental, warm climate. However, the further west, the cooler the climate becomes. Due to the “Templeton Gap” there is an abundance of coastal breeze influence.
- Average annual rainfall: 30 inches in the far west and 10 inches to the east.
- Varietals: Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah Pinot Noir
Where to taste
Tablas Creek
One of the pioneers to the region. You’ll find a lot of Rhône-style blends here. Tablas implements a few winemaking & viticultural decisions that we generally like: native fermentation, low yields and organic / BioDynamic farming and neutral oak contact.
The result are some extremely deep and thought-provoking Rhone blends. While on the more expensive side for the region, one cannot visit Paso Robles without paying a visit to one of the O.G. labels.
Jack Creek Cellars
As mentioned, the further west you go, the cooler the climate gets. Jack Creek takes advantage of being located in the Willow Creek sub AVA by planting cool climate cultivars like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. At 50 acres planted and only 2500 cases produced, Jack Creek Cellars is keeping only their best fruit for a limited production — and the quality really shows.
Their Pinots have gracious, luscious aromas to pair with a soft, velvety texture. The winemaking style is reminiscent to that of some of the Pinots in Carmel Valley, located roughly 2 hours north. Additionally, Jack Creek cellars many of their older vintages, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get treated to some during the tasting. Regardless, we recommend inquiring about purchasing, as they are typically priced to sell.
*Jack Creek Cellars was acquired in 2018 to a former dairy farmer, so we’re interested to see how and if things change.
Halter Ranch
Speaking of priced to sell, who doesn’t love a good bargain in wine country? Halter Ranch makes some very easy-drinking, great Cabernets and Bordeaux blends. In Napa these varietals will normally run over $100 and require years of aging.
But at Halter Ranch, we’ve walked away with some very tasty $40 bottles — great for a weekday wine. The grounds are also enjoyable for a relaxing tasting experience on the vines and in the sun.
Guyomar
There are a lot of large, commercial wineries moving into Paso Robles, offering up plenty of pizzaz, marketing buzz words and lavish tasting rooms. But here we have the exact opposite. Guyomar produces only 1,000 cases of wine per year–mainly Rhône blends–from 100% dry-farmed fruit.
The tasting experience is appointment only and completely dedicated to your group and the proprietor. Each wine is accompanied by a story and if you’re lucky, a bite as well. We were served a lamb tagine dish that paired exceptionally well with the spicy Syrah and Zinfandel blends. This is an experience that is two steps outside of the norm and will be appreciated by those looking for something different.
Levo
We mentioned earlier that Paso’s county laws were supportive of small emerging winemakers. The bulk of them are in an area to the southeast known as “Tin City”. This is a collection of small production winemakers “garagistas”, taking chances and trying to make a name for themselves.
With 25+ producers, a brewery, food trucks and live music, you could easily dedicate an entire day to taste here. We have, and we liked Levo the best. Very small batch, delicious Syrah’s and Grenaches sourced mainly from Western Paso Robles and down south in the Santa Barbara regions. Brett’s wines are gritty, dirty and a fun time in the mouth; he’s not afraid of coloring outside the lines and we appreciate a fresh approach.
Herman Story
Much like Levo, Herman Story Wines brings in grapes from different areas outside of Paso such as Ballard Canyon near Los Olivos. Concentrating mainly on Rhône-style blends, Russell From creates various cuvees that are not lacking in thumph.
However, there are enough blends that are done in a more delicate style–such as the Bien Nacido Grenache–that balance things out. What really caught our eye was the extended maceration projects–skins sitting on juice for as long as 440 days. For those wondering, the average for red wine is around 7-14 days.
Where to eat
Thanks to Paso Robles spiking in popularity, restaurants have followed suit and there is a number of great spots to dine at.
Somm’s Kitchen
Talented Chef and Sommelier Ian Adamo serves up a memorable tasting dinner experience downtown. 14 seat omakase-style dinner paired with carefully chosen wines is the perfect exclamation point after a day tasting. During COVID, Ian has continued to operate via outdoor dinners and tastings at parks and other areas. Book well in advance as these intimate pairing dinners fill up fast.
Il Cortile
Fine dining Italian food done to perfection. All paired with a stellar local wine list. We recommend sitting at the bar and chatting it up with their friendly staff.
Fish Gaucho
Trendy and tasty. This mexican-chic downtown restaurant will make you think you’re at the newest restaurant in Mexico City. Known for their lengthy tequila menu and fantastic pork chops.
What else to do
Paso Robles is pretty much a wine and food town. For some variety, we recommend spending at least a day exploring San Luis Obispo, located just 30 minutes south.
- Hike Bishop’s Peak.
- Ride a dune-buggy across the dunes on Avila Beach.
- Walk downtown Higuera street.
- Tour the Edna Valley wine region.
- Eat at Firestones BBQ – one of the best in California.
Eat at Ciopinot for an upscale dinner.
