LPC looks delicious but we are sticking to outdoor seating because of the kids being unvaccinated. Do you think their food would travel well with takeout?
Just got back from a quick trip last week, and I have to be honest, I donāt understand Paso at this moment. True, there are some outstanding wines: Turley/Saxum. Thereās just so much wine thatās trying to be Saxum, however, and for whatever reason just isnāt. A lot of unbalanced, high octane wines. (Iām not saying you canāt make a high octane wine that is balanced)
Additionally, the pricing is off the charts for quality that just isnāt there. If you go south to SB county or north to CV or SCM you can find better wines and wine experiences, in my opinion.
Of what we tasted, TOP, stood out and definitely worth trying.
Thanks for the feedback. How many wines did Top have when you went? I contacted them but they only have one wine to taste for $30 so weāll pass for now.
We had 3 wines, a white Rhone style wine, a Grenache blend, and a Syrah blend. If I recall correctly, a lot of the grapes for the red blends were out of the G2 vineyard.
Yep - La Purisima is good but you gotta play early. Alisal has 2 courses. And I know thereās a course out at Vandenberg thatās supposed to be good as well. . .
Iāve been going to Paso 3-4 times a year since about 2005. While my palate is not certainly as refined by any measure as many on this board, I do enjoy finding wineries in the early stages of development (Tastings on a plank over a couple of barrels in a barn), and have seen some major changes in the past couple of years toward the hospitality aspects. I appreciate that business model, but am more of a explorer, and am not a sit down taster over cheese etcā¦
My current recommendations for accesible elegant reds would be:
Turtle Rock, Herman Story, Thatcher, Tablas Creek, Turley Zins
More rustic, full throttle reds: Kiamie, Rangeland, Brian Benson, Barton
Full on old style Paso: Minassian Young for Zin, Pianetta, and any of the many large eastside of 101 wineries
Jim - I hear what youāre sayingā¦itās getting tough to be an explorer (as you describe) these days in Paso. Look at what Eric Jensen has done at Booker with the cave/new tasting facility - Epochās rebuild of the historic winery/tasting facility thereā¦LāAventure/Law, etc. These are class-A, bigtime facilities and tasting experiences unfolding in Paso. Itās just growing up, I guess - and attracting a lot of attention. Iāve been hitting Paso pretty regularly since '12 and itās changing. Fast. Iām a fanā¦
I started doing some detailed research for our fall trip to Paso and Iām coming across more wineries that want to book you for an āexperienceā. 45 minutes to an hour with fees running up to $40. Plus appointments required everywhere at preset times. I really hate keeping to too much of a schedule when on vacation.
This is part due to Covid and part due to the way the qine world is going in many many regions. I would expect this to gain momentum as wineries try to maximize revenue by seemingly giving more attention to each customer - and that comes at a cost.
It would be great if folks listed the prices they are being quoted and what they are getting for that. I know a few places in SB County that are now $50+ but they are exceptions at this point.
I can see that. But Iāve been to enough wineries where I donāt need the folks t tell me about soil, vineyard management, and how they make the wine. I donāt need the extra attention. Those places will be lower in priority. I donāt mind the fees so much as my wife and I share tastings. By the way we plan to stop by Tercero.