Winetasting in Paso Robles

Okay, the rest of the trip was a lot of fun, too.  Let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

We ended up going tasting on both Saturday and Sunday — ostensibly to help Stan catch up with all the years that he didn’t come, but definitely abetted (all too well) by Jackie being the designated driver (and Margie the designated taster for Jackie).

SATURDAY:

Headed off in two cars — Mary, Lori, my folks, Margie, me, Stan, and Jackie.

Wild Horse:  Lori wanted to go here, so here’s where we started.  It’s way down in the SE corner of the Paso Robles area, and, as I decided last time, it’s a great place for swag, not much good for wine.  The wine’s not bad, just not my cuppa.  To each their own.  Prices around $22.

Hansen:  We headed over here next, remembering our visit last year with Bruce.  And the visit did not disappoint.  After some yummy tasting in the front room, he dragged everyone back into the tasting room, where we spent about the next hour doing barrel tastings.   Some absolutely faboo stuff, with some added stuff coming soon.  Not cheap — average is about $40 (pre-discount), but definitely worth it.  Very glad we revisited.  And, again, most of the folks who weren’t already wine club members signed up on the spot.

Our intent had been to do other East-side wineries, but in conversation with Bruce he recommended several others, all of which were in the West.  And, honestly, if someone whose wine you really like recommends other places, that’s probably a good place to start.

Zin Alley.  As soon as we walked in, I realized I had a bottle of their port.  As soon as I tasted their port, I realized what a treasure that was.  It’s sweet, sure, but it has a huge spicy Zin kick to it, like drinking cinnamon candy.  Faboo.  And their Zin is just as impressive (and, at $42, just as expensive a bottle — high for a Zin, but, IMO, worth it).  Need to order some (Margie and I tried to avoid actually ordering wine to bring home, luggage constraints as they were.) 

The dessert wine they were serving (Nerelli After Hour) was nice, but undistinguished, definitely suffering in comparison to the port (though priced the same).

Dover Canyon:  Another Bruce recommendation — but one we’ve been to before which I’ve never really warmed up to.  Sporting a big St Bernard on the cover, I find their wines — mostly, but by no means solely Zinfandels — to be a bit light and insubstantial, or just a bit off my preferred palate to be worth the $20-30 range. Margie did pick up a 2005 Tre Noce Zin-Syrah blend.

Pasolivo:  Not a winery, but an olive oil place, estate grown and (for those who like that sort of thing) quite tasty. 

And, with that, it was getting late (since camp games started at 4:30ish), so we headed back.

SUNDAY:

Oh, my, this was the whirlwind day.  We talked Ginger into coming with us, and she … seemed to have fun.  Jackie drove, with me and Margie and Stan as the main tasters.  Our hope was to find some places with wines that Jackie would like.

Tablas Creek:  Had to stop here, as members and general enjoyers of their wines.  Nothing disappointed, except that Jackie didn’t like the dessert.  Rats.

4 Vines:   This one had a fun description and an advertised port. They were out of the port, but the description held up.  Some astonishingly good Zins, a couple of Syrahs including one that Margie didn’t turn her nose up at … and I signed up for the club.  It was that good.  Wines in the $25-40 range, and that good.

Grey Wolf Cellars: My notes have been misplaced at the moment, but there was nothing here I was enthused about.  Stan liked it, though.  Decent enough, but nothing exciting or memorable (except for some interesting foodstuffs).

Lone Madrone:  Associated with at least one of the winemakers at Tablas, this winery (tasting room at the old Bonny Doon site) is supposed to be a chance to break out of the classic Rhone wine rut and do something interesting.  Well, the wines are interesting, even good, but seemed significantly overpriced for what they offered.  Different strokes …

L’Aventure:  This place is tucked way back in the hills, and does big, chewy Rhone/Bordeaux style wines, all of them very heavy on the Syrahs.  Tasty (if you like Syrah), but too pricy at $40-75.

Castoro:  I was starting to seriously fade by this point (having tasted at five wineries, most of them generous).  I tasted a couple, but realized I wasn’t really tasting them, and decided to leave things be.  A large complex, with an art gallery and jewelry sales.  Seemed a nice place to visit, but I can’t speak to their wines.  Stan seemed enthused, though.

Eagle Castle:  This place is done up as a big castle (complete with moat, though looking vaguely Moroccan rather than European), and continues the theme inside.  Impressive building.  Again, I decided not to taste.  I think Jackie liked this place, or something they had.

And that was enough for the day (and more than enough).  We drove back to camp — and I eschewed the cocktail hour, too.  🙂

Many thanks to Jackie, though, for doing the driving.  We ended up going to a lot more places than we would have otherwise (for better or worse).  Good times, all around.