Paso Robles: Sonoma on Steroids

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Paso Robles: Sonoma on Steroids

Posted by Gabe Holmes on April 28, 2008 at 7:44pm

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If you are not a fan of long blog posts I would skip down to my snippets below. It provides enough random anecdotes to help guide your next visit to Paso Robles.

Where?

In the 1850’s American Oil and Railroad tycoons pushed their work party towards the port at San Luis Obispo (think “There Will Be Blood”). As a side note grapes were planted. Note to self: this is the exact time Christian Missionaries planted grapes in Napa and thus vines in Paso can be just as old.

Quite a bit later, the founders of Tablas Creek brought samplings of the vines found in southern France and planted them across Paso Robles. This founder, whose name I am unsure of, noticed the climate to be similar to southern France and thus planted mostly Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah. Paso’s landscape even has the same lush purple flowers as southern France, which have attracted the world’s elite to Provence since Roman times.

The wines are big. Very big. Probably my biggest epiphany during my tasting visit last weekend was that every wine was “good”. Even a vertical tasting of the acclaimed Isosceles Bordeaux blends from Justin were hard to differentiate. I do not think I had one boring wine all weekend.

I noticed a lot of mom and pop wineries. I got the sense that most of the winemakers were ex LA people who were attracted to the country side. I had only seen a handful of the wines on my tasting map available at my usual wine stores in San Francisco. I am assuming Paso wineries have better distribution in LA than nor-cal.

Some random points worth pointing out:

1.) An important distinction to make in Paso is the difference between west side and east side. The west side is hilly, chilly from the ocean fogs as well as wind, and contains limestone based soil similar to the limestone under the Pacific Ocean. The East Side, which can be found across route 101, is pretty much the same wine as anywhere on the Central Coast.

2.) I had no write-home-about Mourvedre’s. I thought Mourvedre’s were a hot weather grape?

3.) Tablas Creek Blends were HOT. Like crazy alcohol attack on the mouth. I was not a fan.

4.) Nadeau Wines were about as dense as red wine can get and the winemaker was a crazy chemist. He also provided the quote of the weekend when he tells some new tasters: “Tastes are $20 per person. Just kidding. This is not Napa.”

Part 1 of a few.

Comment by mimi on April 29, 2008 at 9:28am: PASO ROBLES TO THE FACE!

killer article g. holmes.
mass props to the winemaker at nadeau. he was no-nonsense and his wines were even less so. straight flavor and complexity. zero fluff.

Comment by A Holmes on April 29, 2008 at 10:02am: The climbing/beaching down there is tight.net too. What 1-2 wineries/vineyards were the best?

Comment by mimi on April 29, 2008 at 11:09am: i'd have to say RED SOLES, CALCAREOUS (what-up Bob Duffy!), and VILLICANA all rubbed me the right way. beautiful tasting rooms, super chill hosts and even better wine.

runners up include: BOOKER (brand new/gonna blow up in a few years) and CARMODY-MCKNIGHT (they sold half of their 300-acres to JUSTIN and make wines that are just as good, but half the price!)

special shout-out to JUSTIN-where we stayed at the just inn, tasted future blends and learned about wine history, trolled their enormous cave and ate an outofthisworld 6-course meal.

Comment by Mitch on April 29, 2008 at 7:07pm: Linne Calodo- If you can afford it, DRINK IT.

Comment by Arthur Przebinda on October 11, 2008 at 10:59pm: Your characterization of Paso East is not correct. It is much hotter and more arid than most of the rest of the Central Coast in the daytime (that is why their Bordelaise and Rthone blens are so sot, and tend to lack distinct varietal character as it has been thought of in those grapes origins). It does get cool at night, but it is not uncommon for temperatures in teh 80s and 90s to persist over night during a heat wave.
This is in stark contrast to the other CC AVAs which are typified by lower temperatures in the absoilute and greater diurnal variation as well as more fog. Essentially, Paso East is an orographic dessert.