Paso Robles Continued

On our second day in Paso Robles we headed to the west side of town to check out two relatively high end wineries that I had heard quite a bit about. There is a much wider range of wines being produced in Paso than is the case in Santa Barbara, but on the west side of town, the focus is still largely on Rhone varietals like Syrah and Grenache, with the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Both of the wineries we visited have absolutely beautiful properties, as you will see below. Both have interesting stories to tell about their histories, sustainable farming practices, winemaker sensibilities, etc. However, I have to say that I did not find the wine at either place to be particularly memorable, especially given the price point at which they are being sold. And yet, both wineries may still be worth a visit for other reasons, as you will see below.

Epoch Vineyards was established in the late 1800s and remained in continuous operation until an earthquake in 2003 did irreparable damage to the buildings on the property. The vineyard was acquired by the current owners several years later; they salvaged as much material from the original buildings as possible and incorporated it into the new tasting room. To me, their wines are way too “overdone”; too acidic and too tannic for my taste. The fruit is completely overpowered in the younger wines, but it’s possible the wine will age into something beautiful. We sampled a 2015 and decided to purchase one to age a bit more and then try.

Niner Wine Estates has a much shorter history than Epoch Vineyards, having been founded by the Niner family in the 1990s. It is known for producing wines exclusively from its own vineyards and for its sustainable farming practices. There is a wonderful restaurant on the property and a patio that is surrounded by absolutely beautiful gardens. While I didn’t find their wines to be particularly interesting (other than their signature Fog Catcher blend, which is very good and rather expensive) I still think Niner is worth a visit.

The following day we took a road trip to Cambria, which is about 40 minutes west of Paso Robles. We are always looking for places to hike where Fiona can join us, and we were fortunate to find Fiscalini Ranch Preserve Bluff Trail. It winds through fields of native grasses, wild flowers and sea oats and ultimately follows a ridge overlooking the ocean and the city of Cambria.

Some photos from our hike in Fiscalini Ranch Preserve:

Frank and Fiona on the hiking trail; a view of Cambria from the Preserve; wildflowers growing near the rocky coastline; wildflowers and grasses growing on the hills of the Preserve.

On our way back from Cambria, we stopped at a winery that just happened to pop up on my map as we approached. We were served by the woman who co-owns the vineyard, called Pelletiere Estate, with her daughter. They produce single varietal Italian wines with limited intervention and limited use of oak. She had very strong opinions about wine production methods and was eager to argue the superiority of her winemaker’s philosophy/technique. We had an interesting and spirited conversation, which is one of the many reasons I love to go wine tasting. Talking with winemakers and owners can be absolutely inspiring; their passion for wine is contagious.

On our last two days in Paso, I went out to do a bit of wine tasting on my own. I still had a few spots downtown that I wanted to hit, and I also hoped to spend some time in Tin City.

Downtown Paso Robles continues to become more vibrant and interesting. There are shops and restaurants and tasting rooms and even an art gallery or two. This particular Friday night, there was also a free “Music in the Park” performance. Parking was unsurprisingly a bit of a challenge, but at least it is free again, after a brief, failed attempt by the city to charge people for the privilege of supporting downtown businesses. Really bad idea.

Most of the downtown tasting rooms are open later in the evening than their vineyard based counterparts. I first stopped by CaliPaso, which stays open until 7:30 most nights, to pick up several wine club orders. I have mixed feelings about this winery; they produce several wines I like quite a bit, so I joined their wine club about 2 years ago. However, much of the wine they make is just okay, so I may not remain a club member much longer.

While in downtown Paso I visited one old favorite and one new tasting room. Diablo, the old favorite, is a very small producer of Spanish varietals. The owner and winemaker also makes wine for several larger wineries in Paso Robles. Diablo is his labor of love. I enjoy all his wines but this time I fell in love with the Graciano.

Just a few doors down, Serial Wines operates a tasting room that is aiming for a completely different vibe than is Diablo. The space they occupy is absolutely gorgeous: the furniture is mostly plush velvet. Surfaces are shiny. There are several distinct spaces, divided from each other in creative ways. Service is attentive and the wine is quite good. They open early and stay open late. It is decidedly….cool.

On our last day in Paso, I headed out to Tin City. This is a warehouse district just south of downtown that has a collection of small wine producers, a few restaurants, ice cream shops and craft beer places. I made a return visit to Sans Liege and a first time visit to Desperada. Sans Liege produces mostly Rhone varietals and Desperada produces Rhones and several blends featuring Cabernet Sauvignon. I would recommend both; their wines across the tasting menu were consistently good.

From Paso Robles we headed next to Kings Canyon National Park. Read all about it in my next post.