Doing my swing from San Fran to LA, and after a very long day in Big Sur, just found myself unexpectedly in a very quaint oceanside inn in Cambria. The proprietor mentioned that we are right next to the wine trail for this area. So, any wineries in Paso Robles that might appeal to a Francophile? I’m good with syrah, rhone varietals, Zin, Bdx blends, etc. (assuming not too ripe, not too high in alcohol) Never been to this area, so hitting 1-2 strong wineries would be cool.
Thanks!
Robert
I’m such a dope! Just saw that Tablas Creek is here! Ok, just need one other reco please.
Definitely Tablas Creek. Beyond that, it’s hard to say as far as old world-style.
Caparone is interesting as the proprietor is an old school wine grower who tastes from his modest production facility–assuming nothing has changed from a few years ago. Rustic, yes, but inexpensive and not your typical flashy new money CA winery. Aglianico, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Zin. Probably a hit or miss experience.
Villa Creek is fun as well. When I was there, tasting was at their winery, an unassuming building in Peachy Canyon. They are a more new world in style, but sometimes I want something other than a Chinon. There have several Mourvedre based wines, so that’s a big plus for me.
Interesting question. Besides the obvious Tablas Creek, I’m thrown for a loss since Paso is the last place I’d go if looking for European-styled wines.
Justin for Bdx varieties although it’s been years since I’ve been there and they’ve been bought and sold since then so take it with a grain of salt.
L’Aventure. Turley. Tablas Creek. Linne Calodo. Halter Ranch. Four Vines. Zenaida.
These are all excellent in their own way, and there are plenty more but it’s been 3 years since my last visit…
The guys at L’Aventure and TC are French, so that should be of interest based on your comments…
Have a great trip!
L’Aventure is one of my favorites in terms of wine and location/setting. Others that are cool are Booker, Denner (contact them in advance), Terry Hoague, and Caparone (reasonable prices - italian though). If you have an extra day to hit several wineries, I want to recommend Ron as a driver. He drives your car around and was awesome when we used him last fall. His (admittedly outdated) website is http://mywinedriver.com/home.html. Have fun!
Denner, Terry Hoage are both great as well.
Robert,
If you’re still along the coast, plan to stop in Los Olivos. For ‘more traditional’ wines, you could hit up Qupe, who usually pour a few good ole library selections for your pleasure as well. If you’re heading down the 101, it’s a 5 minute ‘detour’ but, IMHO ( ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
), well worth it!
And if you do stop in town, drop me a line - I’ll meet you over at my place as well!
Cheers!
This is interesting. We were just there last Friday on our way down from Napa (we actually stayed in Morro Bay for a couple of nights on the way to Napa). On advice from this board we went only to Epoch.
Wines were very good. But the young lady pouring seemed like she had an attitude or had a bad day…
FYI
Four Vines was sold years ago. The old owner opened up Cypher.
Tablas Creek is primarily run by Neil Collins and the Haas family not the Perrin Family.
I would add Carmody McKnight and Epoch as well as Daou (the wine is solid and the tasting room is beyond magnificent).
Denner is a beautiful property but I think you need an appointment. L’Aventure has fantastic wines and is highly recommended. Ditto Booker and Epoch, which is reasonably close to Tablas Creek.
As I sit here on the oceanside in Santa Barbara, in low-40s freezin temps, just wanted to send a very warm thanks for the suggestions. Limited in time, we ended up visiting L’Aventure, on the many recommendations, and of course, Tablas Creek.
L’Aventure was a fun surprise. I had never heard of this winery, and would not have stumbled across it, it being well off the beaten path, nestled in a beautiful valley of steep rolling hills. A modern barn winery and extremely friendly, knowledgeable staff, greeted us. I was eager to try these wines based on the recs, and the very high praise from Jeb of Rhone Report. And the tasting is across the board, including all major cuvees, even the flagship 2010 Estate Cuvee. Healthy pours (and some repours) as well!
Stephen Asseo is the owner/wine-maker. He owned the well-known, though very modern St. Emilion estate, Ch. Fleur Cardinale, and the lesser known but quite good QPR from Cotes de Castillon, Ch. Robin. Learning this, I expected full on modern. Modern, however, that still respected its terroir. I have bought both of these Bordeaux in many vintages, including 2 cases of the wonderful 2005 Fleur Cardinale.
For me, the wines were easily separated in quality by the use of new oak. And there is a lot of that. The flagship 2010 Estate Cuvee (42% syrah, 42% Cab and 15% petite verdot) and the 2010 Cabernet are both 100% new French oak and the Optimus (55% syrah, 27% Cab and 18% petite verdot) was 80% new French oak. The oak is very pronounced both on the nose and palate. Very large-scaled wines, deep, layered, opulent. Lots of great material there. I just could not get passed the oak. Whether it integrates is beyond my country palate to figure out, but at $85 per, I’m not buying. I did not buy.
I did, however, thoroughly enjoy, and bought, three of the true Rhone blends that were matured in 50% new French oak instead. The 2010 La Suite is a blend of 43% grenache, 40% mourvedre and 17% syrah. The 2010 Cote a Cote is 42% grenache, 34% syrah and 24% mourvedre. Now these are not your grandmother’s old grenache. The dark pour alone tells you that. These are also large-scaled blends, but instead of distracting oak presence, you have a strong, underlying core of acidity that keeps these heavyweights dancing on their feet. Both displayed very brite, crisp red fruits, interspersed with the richer darks.
Starting to figure out my taste preferences, the very nice staff opened a bottle not on the tasting menu, the 2010 Sibling, which is 70% syrah, 15% grenache and 15% mourvedre, with 50% new oak. Now we are talking. This was the best wine in the line-up for my palate. Big meaty syrah with nice salinity. Black olives, garrigue and earthiness. Slight creaminess. Simply beautiful.
These three Rhone blends are approachable now. These are modern wines, a bit flashy, but really damn nice. They balance well the otherwise very high alcohol content. Had I seen the numbers before I visited, I might have passed. I detected no heat, however. These wines are big but balanced. Expensive at $75-$85, but unique enough to interest me.
Notes on Tablas to follow, as I sit in my hotel warming up to the 2010 Tannat, which I decanted 3 hours ago . . . .
Funny how this turned out Robert. I am a club member of Tablas and L’Aventure, but I was not going to recommend L’Aventure for exactly the reasons you describe. I’m glad the others did. However, I have been primarily a buyer of the estate cuvee and cabernet because I do see the opulence and beauty in them, even giving the oak. Also, my wife adores them. What I might be missing, you have noted. And in the next shipment, I’ll be adjusting our buying. I’m sold on your descriptions as I also do love me some Loire and acid. The service at L’Aventure has always been excellent, I forgot about that, and I’m glad you had the same experience.
As you probably know by now, Tablas can be a little tough young. When I’ve tasted there, I’ve really put my faith in their elegance and then forgotten them in the cellar for awhile. It has worked out. I just hope you can see the terroir, and hopefully have a good taste.
Nasty weather down here today!
Hope you were able to taste the Tablas Creek En Gobelet. I joined their club when I visited this past summer and the Gobelet has been the real standout wine, though I’ve really enjoyed the whole range.
Yea, no doubt. But when in Rome, roll like a Roman (heck, I’m headed to LA today, so staying with the theme!). L’Aventure was a great place to visit. Not necessarily the style of wine that I would seek out on my own, but really well made and good materials. There is a time and a place for these wines.
Tablas Creek was a fun place as well, with a broad spectrum tasting. It’s easy to find the Esprit and the Cotes, red and blanc, in Florida, so for me it was fun to try wines that never make it to my State. The bright and peppery, quaffable, Counoise. The gamey but nicely red-fruited Mourvedre. The dark and brooding Tannat. All nice stuff. Excellent property as well, as my son noted, great hills for longboarding. He spent an hour on the hills riding the longboard while I tasted. I saw lots of cyclists out and about, too, which pained me greatly. I’d give anything for a bike.
Kinero Cellars Anthony Yount winemaker of Denner Vineyards project. Three whites roussanne, Gernache Blanc, and chard. All killer worth a visit.