Trip to Paso Robles

[Jenise]

Many thanks for all the notes, I'm thinking of heading there later this summer...

It's a beautiful area, it really is. But the rich sappy fruits and high alcohols make wines that often taste fortified (you're hard pressed to find any wine here under 15%). You adapt to those flavors surprisingly easily while visiting there because they're ALL that way, but once you're back in your own nest the bottles you brought home don't always fit in. Or so it was for me--I've got a bottle of 16% Roussanne in the cellar I'm afraid to open.

Shaji--great notes, I think these are the most comprehensive reporting I've seen on Paso wines.

Thanks for the warning, Jenise, it's good to know. One thing I don't have to worry about is bringing too many bottles back - that's perhaps the only good thing about having a two bottle limit in Canada!

Thanks for the warning, Jenise, it's good to know. One thing I don't have to worry about is bringing too many bottles back - that's perhaps the only good thing about having a two bottle limit in Canada!

As Jenise can vouch, the wines at Pipestone do not fit the Paso mold. They are very nice, but much more restrained.

Cheers, Carl

Great notes, tolerant wife and kids too!!

Yes Bob, immensely so!

Many thanks for all the notes, I'm thinking of heading there later this summer...

This Summer has been cooler than usual with quite a lot of preceeding rains. So, everything is green and lush. It is a very beautiful part of the country with lots of back roads to explore. People are laid back and there is hardly any traffic.

.. You adapt to those flavors surprisingly easily while visiting there because they're ALL that way, but once you're back in your own nest the bottles you brought home don't always fit in. Or so it was for me--I've got a bottle of 16% Roussanne in the cellar I'm afraid to open.

Shaji--great notes, I think these are the most comprehensive reporting I've seen on Paso wines.

Thank you Jenise. It has been a fabulous trip so far. I agree that the wines in general tend to have higher alcohol than seen elsewhere (I even tried a warm weather Pinot Noir ) but there are several exceptions to the rule here - Caparone, Pipestone, Tablas Creek, Chateau Margene for instance. Even Tobin James has some at 14.2% and 14.6%.

Drove to Justin yesterday morning. It is a beautiful drive up Adeleida Rd. to get to the winery. There wasn’t much of a crowd today. No shade to park though. They were pouring
2009 Sauvignon Blanc- grassy, lemons, crisp. Decent finish
2008 Viognier- very aromatic, oranges in the mouth with some peaches, viscous mouth feel.
2008 Orphan- blend of a whole bunch of fruits, mostly Cab Sauvignon, easy drinking, short finish. Not bad.
2007 Justification- Cab Franc/Merlot- soft wine, some tannins, berries and some brown sugar. Nice wine
2007 Isosceles- Cab Sauvignon mostly. Lots of fruit, hint of spice, good tannins, slight drop in the mid palate, but decent finish. Easy to drink.
2008 Obtuse- Port style wine. Quite good actually, very soft for a young port. Caramel and berries.
2008 Deborah’s Delight- Orange Muscat/Viognier- very perfumey, floral, stone fruits with some nice minerality to the wine.

From Justin we drove to Hwy 46 and went to Lone Madrone. The wines here were really good but some of them had the alcohol creeping up a bit. None of the wines were hot though. We liked:
2004 Nebbiolo- plush nose of currants, figs. Spicy with a slightly sweet edge. Yum
2009 La Mezcla Roja- served slightly chilled, this blend hit the spot on the warm day
2007 Von Dog- with Tannat/Cab Sauvignon/Syrah, I expected this to be tannic monster. But this wine was very nice with plums, cherries,pepper with a long finish.
2006 Old Hat- Zin/Petit Sirah, silky wine, smokey, peppery with strawberries.

Back on the other side of the freeway, nestled way out in the hills is Cass Vineyards.
2009 Oasis Rose- Slightly on the sweeter side, this wine has some red berries, vanilla and spice notes.
2009 Viognier- Viscous in the mouth, crisp wine with lemons and citrus. This wine saw no oak.
2007 Syrah- Nice done wine with meaty, tobacco, good tannins. Good finish

Last day today. No wine tasting planned today. Instead watching the Brazil-Holland game and then heading back.

Haven't mentioned the obvious: Justin and Tablas Creek. If you have the time and resources, go.

A dissenting opinion? Justin's commercial success has gone to its head, so only stop here if you have the time and inclination to endure a lot of smug corporate speechifyin'. Tablas Creek (Beaucastel's Paso property), on the other hand, has IMO a lot more right to be smug but they aren't at all. Our experience there was small and personal, and they poured an excellent array of wines. It (and Pipestone) were my favorite stops of the weekend we spent in Paso.

I would like to add another vote for Tablas Creek. I had a great tasting experience there last year. They poured some great wines and even let me order some wines that were supposedly reserved for their mailing list people. Of course there was an extenuating circumstance, I live in Canada and when I explained that I could not really be on their mailing list, they let me have the wines.

Sorry to have joined the party late but the winery (aside from Tablas Creek) that most impressed me when I visited Paso Robles a few years ago was Linne Calodo who made among the most interesting blends I had had in years.

Regards,

Robert

[Jenise]

Sorry to have joined the party late but the winery (aside from Tablas Creek) that most impressed me when I visited Paso Robles a few years ago was Linne Calodo who made among the most interesting blends I had had in years.

Regards,

Robert

They get a lot of love from the geek squads, but I didn't have the impression they had a tasting room. Am I wrong or were you able to secure an appointment?

Sorry to have joined the party late but the winery (aside from Tablas Creek) that most impressed me when I visited Paso Robles a few years ago was Linne Calodo who made among the most interesting blends I had had in years.

Regards,

Robert

They get a lot of love from the geek squads, but I didn't have the impression they had a tasting room. Am I wrong or were you able to secure an appointment?

Jenise,

We did everything by appointment so I didn't pay much attention. Now that you mention it, we tasted in the warehouse in a pretty informal space. Same with Brewer Clifton and a couple of others.

That was back before the death of wine carriage by airplane so I took a couple of bottles back. I still have one bottle of 2003 Slacker in the cellar in London which I intend to open later this summer.

Regards,

Robert

Jenise.. yes, they do have a tasting room at the front of their barrel room. It's a little hard to find the place, but it's quite near Pipestone.

Linne Calodo's tasting room is on Vineyard drive on the right just as you exit from Hwy 46. They are open daily from 10 -5. I was interested in visiting, but ran out of time.

[Jenise]

Jenise.. yes, they do have a tasting room at the front of their barrel room. It's a little hard to find the place, but it's quite near Pipestone.

I don't remember why we didn't go then. Other than Windward and Justin, no one in our group had any particular preferences so your suggestions pretty much determined our tour and I knew before going that Linne Colado was among the very best there.

Thanks Shaji for this, we're going to be in Cambria/San simeon area next week, and plan to head for PR for at least one day of wine visits.
This gives us some choices (I'll probably skip Tablas creek, as I've been there). If anyone has new suggestions, would love to hear them.