Paso Up and Comers

A few of us are working on planning a trip to Paso Robles in May and we know very little about the area wineries and winemakers. What are the best small production wineries in the region and who are the most talented up and coming winemakers in the area?

Paul
Quivet Cellars

Nicora and Kinero come to mind. A friend if mine I make some wine for has a tasting room on 13th. Winery is called Chateau Lettau. I like the wines.

Some good places to visit: Tablas Creek, Villa Creek, Booker
Up and comers: Law Estate, Torrin

Visit Russell From @ Herman Story, and do track down Scott Hawley and Nick Elliott at Torrin and Nicora. I believe they are under the same roof. Terry Hoage.

Good suggestions, Doug. I’d add Amy Butler of Ranchero Cellars.

Some notes here from a visit last March with Scott and Nick (I believe that’s correct that they’re now are sharing space at the new Law Estate facility), as well as with Anthony Yount of Denner / Kinero and Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch:
Paso Robles - March 2013

Saxum (may be tough to get an appointment) and Linne Calodo (might be a bit easier) would be other good options besides ones that have been mentioned already. ONX, L’Aventure, and Hug would be other possibilities. That’s just off the top of my head, and I know I’m leaving out a number of others.

I’d add Paix Sur Terre, Mighty Nimble (Hilary Graves), and the Paso Underground tasting room which has four small producers, one of which is Clos Solene.

I would also highly recommend Nicora. Torrin wasn’t open yet when I was there in the fall, but it should be a nice 1-2 punch now.

Also, if you plan ahead well you could do Kinero, Mighty Nimble, and Ranchero Cellars all in one place at the Denner lab. I think you need to be a Denner member to taste at Denner, but I bet they would let you taste there too if you were already there to taste with those other makers. It is a nice combined stop.

I also liked ONX. They have some interesting blends.

k.

Edit: Cleared up the language that made it sound as if you had to be a Denner member to taste at the lab. You do not.

+1 on Nicora, Paix, and ONX.

Doesn’t get any better than Russel From. Terry hoage is a distant 2nd

Not sure if it is still considered an up and comer, but go see Cris Cherry at Villa Creek. And he is close to the Denner facility so you can make a morning/afternoon working in Kinero, etc.

+1,000 on Russel’s Herman Story wines. Absolutely amazing.

Also, Denner, as previously mentioned.

Next would be Tablas Creek, L’Aventure and Nicora for me.

How do the Herman Story’s age? I’ve had a couple that I liked, but they seemed really big when young.

A trip and location I still need to make.

Warning: L’Aventure is super-high alcohol and lavish use of new wood. For the pure modernists.

Love me sum Tablas Creek. I really like their odd offerings, like Tannat.

They are very big; no question they’re not for everyone. I find them fairly structured, particularly for this style, so they do mellow with age, though I’ve never had one older than an '05/'06. But as the winemaker himself likes to say: these are balls-to-the-wall wines. But I, as a completely personal opinion, think no one is doing this all-out style better than Russell.

They’re certainly more subtle than, say, Caymus. Not liquored up fruit bombs, IMHO, though they’re most certainly New World.

Haven’t been to Paix Sur Terre but I’ve only heard good things. Nicora is definitely a great visit - Nick definitely qualifies as an up and comer. I would put his wines as modernist in style, but he’s managed to retain a freshness in his wines. We had a great time tasting with Jeff, the assistant/associate winemaker at ONX. We visited during the cold-snap in California, and with the tasting outside the wines were a bit shut-down. My impression was that they were well put together with the varietals being used deliberately and purposefully - not always the case with some unusual blends. I would definitely recommend a visit.

Tablas Creek is always an excellent visit. The 2010 Esprit is very pretty right now. Tablas Creek’s 2011 Whites? Fantastic. Some of the best California whites I’ve had and they’re showing very well now. Expressive, detailed with excellent acidity (and low alcohol). Their Mourvedre is showing well right now too.

Villa Creek is definitely worth going to. Their new tasting room is a dramatic improvement. My tasting compatriots gravitated towards their “High Road” which has fruit sourced from James Berry vineyard, but I enjoyed the detail and freshness of the Willow Creek Cuvee.

I would recommend visiting Anthony and Paul at Denner. They’re obviously an established winery, but I think there’s a forward-thinking sensibility in their cellar and I think there’s been a maturation to their style as well.

+1 on Villa Creek

If you go to Paso, you have to visit Turley.

P.S. I’m serious.

+1 on Nicora - Nick is a really nice guy making some really good wine.

I like Caparone for their Sangiovese and Aglianico at reasonable prices, certainly not up and coming they have been there for forever making wine the same way year after year.
Had a killer Petite Sirah from Aaron Jackson, wish I bought more. I don’t think he has a tasting room but you can try to contact him through his web site.

I would endorse this too, they are doing some awesome stuff.


I would also heavily endorse Law too. I tasted the wines last August, and they were simply stunning. Scott Hawley from Torrin makes the wines.