Paso Robles: California’s quintessential yet eclectic wine region

There is something quintessentially Californian about the Paso Robles wine region. Perhaps it’s the golden-hour haze that burnishes the dry-farm dust rising from a patchwork of different soil types. Paso sunsets romantically blur the outlines of the oak trees on the rolling hills. Or perhaps it’s the cold nights courtesy of the ocean proximity? It gives the region the largest diurnal swings of all California AVAs.

Maybe it’s the palm trees and stretching Pacific views from Hearst Castle that hosted a dazzling array of sirens partying in the Hollywood golden era. Or perhaps it’s the pioneering spirit of many of Paso’s wine people, their stories inspired by personal wine rush.

Scroll down for Clare Tooley MW’s tasting notes and scores of 24 top wines from six premium Paso Robles producers

Paso Robles AVA: the facts

Established in 1983, the Paso Robles AVA now has 11 sub appellations. It is the fastest-growing wine region in California, with more than 200 wineries and 16,200ha. Over 60 different grape varieties grow in its Mediterranean climate, which also experiences the greatest diurnal temperature swing of all California’s wine-growing regions.

Whichever aspect most appeals to you, Paso Robles is unequivocally a must-visit California wine region. Equidistant from San Francisco and Los Angeles, Paso offers the road-tripping wine lover a convenient resting place. Its premium wines to some extent also mirror this half-way point between the structured Cabernet and Bordeaux blends of Napa and Sonoma and the sun-loving plusher styles of the south.

Far from being binary however, Paso offers the quality wine lover the most eclectic experience on the Central Coast. Rhône reds of Grenache and Syrah rub shoulders with Italian and Spanish grapes while old-vine Zinfandel greets powerful Cabernets.

Diverse whites such as Fiano (Giornata – ‘Inspired by Italy, crafted in California’) and Chenin Blanc (Thacher) flourish here. As do the bevy of southern French grapes including Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Picardan and Clairette Blanche (Tablas Creek).

Sites, soils and sub-appellations

The Salinas River, shadowed by the 101 Interstate, provides a natural east-west divide, with rolling hills to the east and steeper terrain to the west. But just as the Right Bank/Left Bank denomination offers too simplistic an explanation of Bordeaux’s rich complexity, so an East/West categorisation does little justice to Paso’s diversity.

The region is racing to cut itself into smaller pieces from within. No fewer than 11 sub-appellations have been approved since the general Paso Robles AVA was established in 1983.

Epoch Wines’ mission statement is clear and echoes others who have invested in the region. ‘We loved wines from Rhône varieties and, being geologists, we understood the importance terroir plays in making world-class wines.’

It continues: ‘Upon extensive research and travel, we kept coming back to Paso Robles for the weather, unique soils, hilliness and extreme temperature swings that are known to this region and found within each of our vineyard sites.’

Site specification is key within this vast region, essential to its potential quality. But such specification never happens overnight. It takes time to map a region where more than 30 different soil series exist; still longer to establish-site specific vineyards that are just the right kind for quality production.

Furthermore, a region as drought-prone as Paso requires even greater understanding of the options, plus ongoing exploration of sustainability. The choice of rootstocks or own-rooted as per Thacher’s Shell Creek Vineyard Chenin Blanc, row spacing, clonal selection, irrigation techniques and the ability to dry-farm, are just a few of the ongoing areas of research and trial.

Highlighting single vineyards

The myriad grape varieties planted in Paso pay tribute to the region’s geological diversity as well as its cultural multiformity. Ideal for both grape growers’ and wine lovers’ curiosity and ambition.

So is the wine industry’s conscience, as the commitment to organic practices, regenerative farming and water management will ensure survival. It’s a sad but fundamental truth that while Paso may have chosen to emulate classic European wine regions to gain a foothold in the market, it will end up providing a blueprint for many more facing the challenges of global warming.

The search for terroir was underway long before authorities rubber-stamped the appellation. Wine grapes joined orchards and nut crops generations ago. Zinfandel, for example, was planted in Paso in the 19th century.

Named single vineyards, rather than winemakers, feature on the labels of many of Paso’s highest-quality wines. The eponymously owned Dusi vineyard, planted in 1923, is home to old-vine Zinfandel, sought after by such luminary producers as Turley and Ridge.

Adelaida’s HMR vineyard, planted in the 1970s, is the oldest Pinot Noir-producing vineyard on the Central Coast, cited by André Tchelistcheff as ‘a jewel of ecological elements’. Its 2019 Pinot (see tasting note) immediately seduces and explodes with flavour.

Thacher planted two vineyards in the sub-AVAs of Adelaida District and Willow Creek but also sources from and names the vineyards of Glenrose, Shell Creek, Coast View, La Vista and Will’s Hill. Tablas Creek cites no fewer than 12 vineyards for its Esprit and Patelin blends (Derby, Fralich, Tablas Creek, Creston Ridge, Dawson Creek, M du R, Hollyhock, Self Family, Velo, Clautiere, Cass and KamRidge). Epoch’s resonant Grenache and Syrah wines, from winemaker Jordan Fiorentini, hail from the Paderewski vineyard.

Family affair

Soil is fundamental to great wine production. But the less tangible (though no less visceral) desire to achieve legacy is often evident wherever great wine is made. Paso Robles has many such legacy builders – even if their feet and vines are firmly planted in the dirt.

The Haas and Perrin family partnership of Tablas Creek is a good example of personal and practical ambition. With an adamant belief it was possible, they created something extraordinary.

Their search was specific: an environment to mirror the southern Rhône. They settled on the calcareous shale in the West Side hills and began to plant. Partner and general manager Jason Haas, son of Robert Haas, the founder, frequently writes in his winery blog of the precedence regionality takes over winemaking. Dirt, wind and drought conditions govern cellar manipulation, the latter a tool to mirror, not mitigate.

Paso is a family-oriented, family-friendly place. Cowboys and children are particularly welcome here. The Paso Wine Country Alliance website is full of links to join in local celebrations, festivities, gatherings and opportunities for memory-making camaraderie.

Many drawn to its wine production have made it a family affair, with the ‘small winery’ phenomenon of 1970s California typifying Paso to this day. Thacher, Giornata and Torrin are all husband-and-wife teams bringing up the next generation of Paso people and making wines that speak to both their origin and their audience.

My tasting notes that follow, from a handful of Paso’s premium estates, reveal beauty, quality and wines well worth seeking out, sharing and cellaring. They do not, however, do justice to the region’s real laid-back, human side that encourages you to chill in its sultry heat. For that, you will just have to come and see for yourself.

Paso Robles: 24 top wines from six premium producers

Related content

Favia: producer profile and five wines tasted

Healdsburg travel guide: three-day itinerary for wine lovers

Best wine bars in Napa & Sonoma