Paso Robles Must Visit Wineries?

[vlad]

Hi there,

We've done Napa multiple times -- but aren't nearly as familiar with Paso Robles. Any consensus on the you-just-have-to-visit-wineries in Paso Robles?

Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Bcakes]

I was entirely disappointed with Justin's wines and their tour. Boring and overcrowded. We didn't even get to taste any of their signature wines. I really liked Halter Ranch which is nearby.

[vlad]

Excellent. Thanks.

[cambriahound]

Linne Calodo - extraordinary wines - taste anything he has left for tasting.

Denner Winery - their GSM Ditchdigger is excellent and they have a great Viognier/Roussane blend. Their 04 Syrah is wonderful too. If they are pouring their new Grenache, try it. Get on the wait list for there wine club as I think they are going to open it back up this spring. (This is where Justin got grapes until Denner started producing their own recently).

Garretson - Matt has a couple of blockbuster syrahs for 05 and has gotten mid 90's rating for them.

L'Adventure has gotten some high 90's and really on a roll.
Don't even know that they have much left for tasting.

Tablas Creek a truly great Rhone house with some really interesting offerings (they have even have a Westside-Paso style fruit forward ready to drink red). The tour is great.

For dining, I heartily suggest Villa Creek on the square in downtown Paso - besides its one on the few ways to get a chance to try some of Cris Cherry's wine.

Most of these are in the "Far Out Winery" areas on(and off) Vineyard, from HWY 46 W. Depending on time and preference, Justin would be perfect for the B&B and put you right in the area. If you'd like something high end and don't mind driving a little, Villa Toscana in Paso (off HWY 46 E) is beautiful.

Here's a locals trick - I truly do support buying wines from the source, but..... The Albertson's grocery in Morro Bay has an excellent array of Central Coast producers and the prices can't be beat.

Have a great time - you are going to experience the feel of Napa 30 years ago with some young, innovative wine makers that are really producing great wine.

[PolarBear]

cambriahound has given you the inside info. Albertons in MB for the best selection and 10% off on any six bottles. I've found a few bargains at Spencers (the market set back behind Taco Temple).

[glbtrtr]

Dining: Be sure to try Matthew's at the Paso Robles airport for some very interesting cuisine in a dramatic spot -- for Paso Robles. Rated the best fly-in restaurant by private pilots group.

[PolarBear]

Matthew's will also have a selection of local wines worth sampling, I just hope all those pilots aren't drinking and flying. ;>P

[leanneabe]

We just took a girls trip to SLO and stopped at some wineries in Paso. When I was going to school up there, I really liked Justin wines, but this time I didn't taste any worth buying. our favorite was Mastantuano (www.mastantuonowinery.com). The girl there said they were best known for their Zinfandels. I'm not a fan of Zinfandel, but I liked it enough to buy a couple bottles along with a bottle of their Champagne. We also stopped at Pasolivo (http://www.pasolivo.com/) for an olive oil tasting.

[PolarBear]

On our last visit, we found Justin wines lacking based on some of their previous efforts, the tasting room over crowded and not much help. When factoring in the increase in prices and decline in quality we decided there was so much more to offer in the area. e.g the previously metioned Tablas Creek, Adelaida, Linne Calodo, L'Aventure.

[judybird]

Also check out www.faroutwineries.com. These are all west side wineries, usually well off the beaten path. Pipestone is a particular favorite of ours - it's family-owned and you'll most likely meet the owners/winemakers at their tasting room. Nice spot for a picnic too.

[SteveTimko]

I assume you know about this site:
http://www.pasowine.com/
I like Tablas Creek as well. As long as you're out in that direction, Adelaida makes some very nice wine, too.
L'Aventure is getting high marks too.
Turley, Linne Calado and Peachy Canyon are good places to go.
Garretson wines is also nice. It's the only wine club that I belong to. They won't be listed on the map on the Paso Wine site because they're not a member of the organization. But it's right in town off the highway that comes in from the east. Last time I was there there was another place that set up shop in the same complex offering free tastings from other wine makers.

[Snackish]

I love the wines of L'Aventure and Linne Calodo. Garretson is fun, especially if Matt Garretson is around - he is quite gregarious. Eberle is a pretty winery with a nice picnic area.

[peasoup]

Wine is such a personal thing, and what I love, you may hate, but with that said, I enthusiastically recommend both the wines, and the tour at Tablas Creek. Their wines are some of my favorites coming out of Paso Robles, and the tour is very informative, and a bit more in depth than your garden variety winery tour.

Others I like are L'Adventure and Hug Cellars.

[vlad]

Also, if there are any distinctive winery tours in Paso Robles, please let us know.

Thanks again.

[vlad]

This is great. Thanks.

Any good places/B&Bs to stay at?

[Snackish]

The B&B at Justin, which is way out in the middle of the countryside, is just lovely.