Donatoni Winery, Paso Robles

[dockhl]

I am looking for a aviation themed tasting room and found this one. I've never heard of it so wondered if anyone else has tried their wines or know anything about it.

Can't find anything on the boards.......

Thanks !

[bigdaddy99]

I think the guy at midnight cellars was a fighter pilot - on anderson road, and also pianetta wine in downtown paso - he was a pilot, though I wouldn't describe their tasting room as having an aviation theme.

[dockhl]

Well, this certainly falls under the "unpretentious winery" category. Hank Donatoni and his wife worked for United Airlines for years, he as a pilot and she as a flight attendant. Opened a winery at the end of a runway in LA and moved it here 10 or so years ago. Have been buying Paso fruit for their wines for 33 years.

We tasted viognier, petit sirah, cab, two zins and a dessert red (lower residual sugar than most---I liked that!) Overall the wines were very drinkable, not tannic, VERY high alcohol (17.6%for the one zin !!!) and pretty high priced. We had two tastings ($5 each with the glass...hmmm.) and a lot of wine talk (we were there an hour on a Sunday afternoon, no one else in the tasting room) and they WERE NOT WAIVED with the purchase of a $45 bottle of wine. Nice guy, a little pricey.