Willow Creek: Paso Robles’ coolest sub-region

Established in 1983, Paso Robles, meaning ‘pass of the oaks’ in Spanish, is a Californian region with 16,500 hectares under vine.

Ten years ago, 11 sub-American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) within the greater Paso Robles AVA were approved for use on labels. Conjunctive labelling laws, which have seen success in Napa Valley, require ‘Paso Robles’ to be used on a label whenever a sub-AVA is also listed.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of top wines from Willow Creek.

The western Paso regions, including Willow Creek District, seem to run ahead of the pack, with many quality producers residing there. These areas can be slightly cooler, wetter, and windier than their eastern neighbours, and they can see marine fog from the coastal influences.

The wines from these areas tend to show higher acidity, a key piece of the quality puzzle in Paso to balance the fruit concentration, tannins and alcohol levels that can result from the high temperatures. Notable Willow Creek vineyards include James Berry, G2, L’Aventure, and Paper Street.

Vineyards in Paso Robles’ windy west

Just south and a bit east of the larger Adelaida District lies the Willow Creek District, a higher rainfall, high elevation sub-district with similar properties.

However, the tiny Willow Creek District, located approximately 40km from the ocean, more directly benefits from the Templeton Gap effect. Here, openings in the coastal Santa Lucia Mountain range allow cooler coastal air to rush, funnel-like, into the valley.

This cooling effect allows for wide diurnal ranges with warmer days and much cooler evenings, allowing the grapes to rest and refresh.

Kunal Mittal, co-founder at LXV Wine, spoke about the importance of the Templeton Gap to their quality grapes.

‘It is handy in hot years such as 2022 when the grapes need to refresh during heat spikes,’ he says. ‘It also helps to prevent frost damage, as the wind (from the Templeton Gap) blows the cool air away and prevents that cooler air from setting.’

The Mittals farm just over 3ha of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Sangiovese at their Armaa.N estate vineyard and also source grapes from other Willow Creek sites such as the G2 North and Gateway Vineyards.

The Willow Creek District is defined by varied topography and rolling hills, with little flat land. Hillsides with thin topsoils mean roots dive deep into the vineyards’ bedrock.

‘These aspect changes in Willow Creek give more interesting and character-driven wines,’ says Carl Bowker, owner and founding winemaker at Caliza Winery.

The Paso Robles AVA as a whole has over 30 soil types. Willow Creek features high-elevation mountainous bedrock derived from marine sedimentary rocks, calcareous shale, and limestone.

Bowker speaks of his estate vineyard’s soil: ‘You can tell it was underwater. You see ancient seashells and feel the chalky and mineral character of the soil.’

‘Caliza‘, which means ‘limestone’ in Spanish, refers to this high limestone content in the soils around the estate.

Bowker thinks that: ‘The high limestone content allows us to make fresh wines. Wines that hold onto the acidity and give mineral characteristics.’

This, he adds, was particularly advantageous in the hot 2022 vintage.

Willow Creek meets climate change

Like many California regions, Willow Creek is seeing hotter and more extreme weather conditions. Edgar Torres, founder and winemaker at Bodega de Edgar, sources 90% of his grapes from the Dusi family, one of the legacy families in Paso Robles, with most of the fruit from their Paper Street Vineyard.

‘They used to be focused on dry farming, but now drip irrigation is sometimes used, partially to navigate the heat waves,’ says Torres.

Bowker shares that because of extreme heat, he and his team have had to adjust their canopy management techniques on the 11ha Caliza Vineyard to get more shade on the side of the vines which catches the afternoon sun.

‘There is no normal anymore. We rarely see two vintages that are the same,’ says Don Burns, owner and winemaker at Turtle Rock Vineyards, who grew up in Paso Robles and cut his teeth at Justin Smith’s Saxum Vineyards.

He spoke of two recent drought years in 2020 and 2021, juxtaposed with record-breaking rainfall in 2022 and 2023.

Kunal Mittal says: ‘With the inconsistencies and extremes of climate, the Templeton Gap effect is important to us, especially with our focus on Bordeaux varieties, which need a longer hang time.’

Without the cooling effect of the gap and the cool nights it creates, overripe fruit would become an especially acute issue.

The wines of Willow Creek

Though Paso Robles wines can be characterised as full-bodied and rich in style, natural acidity saves them from going too far. Bowker states that, typically, wines are not acidulated in Paso, especially in Willow Creek, where the natural acidity is very high.

‘The wines,’ he says, ‘have a natural acidity and freshness, which comes from the proximity to the ocean and the Templeton Gap effect.’

The natural conditions often means a hallmark of Willow Creek wines is less manipulation in the winery. Burns agrees: ‘We’ve learned how to extract what we want from the grapes and not have to extract everything,’ he says.

‘There is more of a gentle hand in winemaking here in Willow Creek.’

Bowker adds that due to the soils and cool breezes: ‘We can have big, bold, powerful wines that are also light on their feet with brightness and freshness.’

Torres’ marker for Willow Creek fruit is a floral component, plus a chalky medicinal note. He says that he often finds spice notes – such as paprika, cumin, and Tajín, a Mexican chili-lime seasoning – in the Paper Street Grenache.

Burns, who has been involved in making wine in Paso, specifically Willow Creek, for over 15 years, describes, ‘an acid lift and energy in the glass, minerality, and a marked salinity, especially in Syrah coming from the calcareous stone soils.’

Part of the wider whole

Many of Paso Robles’s most premium wines come from the Willow Creek District. The key players in Willow Creek agree that the 11 sub-AVAs created 10 years ago created a much needed separation between higher-quality producers and wines, and the value-priced wines being produced, allowing the former a chance to shine.

At the same time, all recognise that they are contributing to the wider reputation of their parent AVA.

Neeta Mittal says: ‘Even as we divide Paso into AVAs, the underlying theme is community. For this reason, it’s very important to require the labels to include ‘Paso Robles’ along with the sub-AVA.’

Mittal describes a sense of stewardship from those who grow grapes in Willow Creek. This continues in the winery with lower-intervention styles from producers wanting to make high-quality, character-driven wines.

As Paso Robles continues to define its identity within the global wine industry, aspirational producers in sub-appellations like Willow Creek District are going a long way to help lift the profile of Paso Robles as a whole.

Top wines from Willow Creek

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