If you’ve never been to Paso Robles, it’s the halfway point between San Francisco and Los Angeles. This unique location with its coastal influence, creates a greater day to night temperature swing than other California wine regions. This is great for the grapes. They thrive with a long growing season and diverse soil types. More than 40 wine grape varieties are grown in Paso Robles ranging from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache and Zinfandel for red wines to Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for white wines. Paso Robles has numerous highly regarded wines, but many are from small wineries such as Linne Calodo and Bodega de Edgar. Wines that most people will never get their hands on. Last week my hubby and I took an amazing trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Here’s a taste of what we experienced.
Justin Winery
JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery was founded in 1981 and is known for crafting world class wines using Bordeaux grape varieties, including the iconic ISOSCELES blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The Vineyard features a beautiful tasting room, luxury five star accommodations at the JUST Inn, and a Restaurant, making it one of the only wineries on the Central Coast to offer all three options.
Daou
Daou Vineyards and Winery offers spectacular views from the hilltop west of Paso Robles. Standing alone at an elevation of 2,200 feet, DAOU Mountain rises from the heart of the Adelaida District in the rugged coast range west of Paso Robles. DAOU Mountain is created from a very rare soil, calcareous clay. This soil, famously found in Saint-Émilion and the right bank of Bordeaux, is composed of clay with a calcareous and limestone subsoil perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varieties. This is the soil that owners Georges and Daniel sought when they searched around the world for their dream vineyard. I really enjoyed learning more about the fascinating story of the Daou brothers while enjoying some extraordinary wines.
Daou’s beautiful tasting room offers a variety of options for you to enjoy. Once entering their property, you’ll be greeted by a host, given a glass of their 2020 Reserve Rose and led to the panoramic patio with a wine educator guiding you through the tasting. Make sure to make a reservations, this is one winery you won’t want to miss.
Austin Hope & Treana
The Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar offers seated tastings with a casual, fun approach to award winning, world class wines. The spacious, unique tasting areas are a blend of eclectic décor, lounges and outdoor cabanas overlooking the estate vines.
We enjoyed the World Class Wine & Cheese Pairing. This is a one of a kind wine and cheese pairing, is like no other! You’ll enjoy locally produced cheese from Stepladder Creamery expertly paired with five world class wines from Austin Hope. These two artisans have crafted this unique wine and cheese experience for you to enjoy. A perfect pairing that only true love can create.
Linne Calodo
A family-owned and operated winery, focused on the production of unique and exceptional, hand-crafted wines. The name Linne Calodo, describes the distinctive limestone soils of the west side of Paso Robles where the vineyards are located. They create unfined and unfiltered wines balanced through the blending of Rhone and Zinfandel varietals. Their wines are truly extraordinary, I honestly loved them all.
Bodega De Edgar
Bodega is the Spaniard term for a winery or cellar. Considering Edgar’s Hispanic heritage and passion for Spanish wines, the brand name seemed like a natural fit for him. Edgar’s wine journey started as a waiter in Paso Robles. It was there were he was exposed to many great wine producers. Several became his friends and eventually opened their doors to his learning desires. In 2007 he created his own label. Starting at just 250 cases, Bodega de Edgar is now approaching 3,500 cases with the 2018 vintage. His focus has always been to source the highest quality fruit to produce the best wines, while still maintaining an affordable price point. During our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting him, his father and of course Staci, their fantastic hostess. Give them a visit them next time you’re in town and make sure to try their Tempranillo, it is one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden
Sculpterra Winery and Sculpture Garden in Paso Robles, is an experience and unique fusion of wine and art. Escape to another world as you enter the museum and view the decorative iron signage, fencing, and tasting room embellishments by Bob Bentley, a master blacksmith with a renaissance style and quality that will astound you. Enjoy a picnic or just stroll through their magnificent sculpture garden, a testimonial to the life work of John Jagger, a world renown sculptor. His larger than life sculptures in bronze and granite is truly amazing. The tasting room of Sculpterra Winery currently features Jagger’s miniature series of bronze sculptures as well as many contemporary pieces of art from many world wide recognized artist. Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden is a must-see for anyone visiting the Central Coast.
Sensorio
Light Towers is a stunning new exhibit at Sensorio, created by internationally acclaimed artist Bruce Munro to celebrate Paso Robles’ extensive wine country environs. Don’t miss these colorful 6‑foot-tall towers composed of more than 17,000 wine bottles, illuminated with glowing optic fibers whose colors morph to a moving musical score included with admission at no additional cost. This was one of my favorite parts of our trip. They had live music, drinks available for purchase and lot’s of food trucks. I had one of the best barbacoa burritos from Ricky’s Tacos.
Allegretto Vineyard Resort
While in town, we decided to stay at the Allegretto Vineyard Resort, which is situated in the heart of Paso Robles. The resort is inspired by wine country and European hospitality, evoking an Italian estate surrounded by 20 acres of vineyards and fruit bearing orchards. The resort has charming little spots and a beautiful piazza. If your heading to Paso Robles, I would highly recommend you stay here!
Hubby and I had a fantastic time in Paso Robles.
Cheers, till our next adventure. 🍷
Rosa Chalekian 