Paso Robles: a Californian wine region on the up
The basis of this article is a seminar presented last week in London by Christopher Taranto, who is director of communications for Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, and it was subtitled ‘it’s cooler than you think.’ The wine notes come from the tasting that accompanied it, which showcased six different producers.
The message in brief: Paso is a special place in California, and over the last decade it has grown in its recognition, and wine quality has never been higher.
Halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it’s framed by two mountain ranges: the coastal range (moderating the coastal influence from the nearby chilly Pacific) and an inland range (protecting from the heat of the Central Valley.
The name means ‘pass of the oaks’. There are now 17 000 hectares under vine in an area of 243 000 hectares.
One of the climatic features is large diurnal shifts (typically at the peak of summer you will see a shift from around 37 C in the day to 10 C at night, because of what’s called the Templeton Gap effect. The overall climate is extreme Mediterannean, with hot, dry summers and no rain from May to October.
There are 30 different parent soil series, with limestone a key feature in many of the vineyards. The Paso Robles AVA was established in 1983 with 17 wineries and 2023 hectares of vines. This is at the same time as the other main AVAs in California (Napa was 1981). There are now 11 subdistricts approved in 2014, and conjunctive labelling law means that Paso Robles needs to be written first and prominently on the labels. The 11 are Adelaida, Creston, El Pomar, Estrella, Santa Margarita, Highlands, San Juan Creek, Willow Creek, Templeton Gap, San Miguel and Geneseo. (There’s also a small, separate AVA in the area called York Mountain, but that’s a historical artefact.)
The western border of Paso is 14 km from the Pacific. The landscape is quite diverse, with benches and rolling hills, as well as dry riverbeds and mountains. This area is on the Pacific Plate, which is an uplifted ancient seabed that rose 30 million years ago.
THE WINES
Giornata
Brian and Stephy Terrizzi met at wine school, and have planted a vineyard based on Italian varieties. Brian previously worked in Tuscany and makes the wines, and Stephy his wife looks after the vineyards. As well as Fiano they grow Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Ribolla, as well as others. They chose the property because of the soil type, which has fragments of limestone and heavy clays.
Giornata Fiano 2023 San Miguel District, Paso Robles
13% alcohol. Overnight maceration and then fermented in stainless steel, wild ferment, no additions. This is powerful and aromatic with bright pear, peach and mandarin fruit. It’s richly textured and quite dense, with lovely fruit intensity and a fine spicy edge. There’s depth here but also freshness with a crystalline quality on the finish. Layered and complex. 93/100
Giornata Orangotango 2023 Paso Robles, California
13% alcohol. This is an orange wine made of Falanghina, Fiano and Vermentino. It spends 6 months on skins. Lovely aromatics here with grape, peach and pear, with a lively personality in the mouth, showing nice brightness and a bit of grip. So stylish. 93/100
Giornata Aglianico 2022 Paso Robles, California
This has 10% Petit Verdot in the blend. Supple and berryish with some nice cherry fruit, a bit of spice and nice tannins, as well as a hint of earth in the background. Such lovely fruit here: really nicely balanced and very expressive. 94/100
Giornata Nebbiolo 2018 Paso Robles, California
Nice to try this with a bit of bottle age. Fine and expressive with tea leaves, red cherries and a hint of iron. The palate is textural and fresh with lovely cherry and redcurrant fruit with dried herbs adding interest. 94/100
Tablas Creek Vineyard
Neil Collins (above), director of winemaking, presented these wines. Tablas Creek is one of the best known of the Paso Robles wineries, and has been pioneering in its application of regenerative viticulture. They specialise in Rhône varieties, and were established as a partnership between US importer Robert Haas and the Perrin family of Beaucastel fame. They began looking for a vineyard in the 1980s to grow Rhône varieties, and after all their research they landed in Paso Robles for its limestone soils, the possibility to dry farm, and enough warmth to ripen Mourvèdre. The vineyards have a range of exposures on a set of hills.
Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Tablas White 2020 Adelaida District, Paso Robles, California
13% alcohol. This wine is a blend of Rhône varieties led by Roussanne and Grenache Blanc fermented in large foudres. This is fresh and supple with lovely balanced fruit: lemons, white peach, yellow plums. There’s a chalky texture here with an ease on the mid-palate showing lovely weight in the mouth. Supple with nice energy and weight, and drinking really well now at age four and a bit. 94/100
Tablas Creen Roussanne 2021 Paso Robles, California
13% alcohol. Supple, crystalline and energetic with nice depth to the pear and peach fruit. Has a subtle nutty edge. Stylish and layered: a lovely wine. 94/100
Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas Red 2020 Paso Robles, California
13.5% alcohol. 40% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 21% Syrah and then bits of Counties, Vaccarese and Cinsault. Fine grained, supple and detailed with lovely black cherry and red cherry fruit, as well as some spice and subtle earthy hints. Very fine and expressive, and quite elegant. 93/100
Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas 2022 Paso Robles, California
13% alcohol. This is the entry level red, and it’s a blend of 54% Syrah, 29% Grenache, 13% Mourvèdre, 3% Counties and 1% Terret Noir. Supple, elegant and fresh with appealing red cherry and raspberry fruit with nice grip. Some peppery hints add interest. Lively and focused, this is really lovely. 93/100
McPrice Myers Wines
McPrice Myers Wines Beautiful Earth White 2023 Paso Robles, California
56% Grenache Blanc, 44% Clairette Blanc. Fresh and bright with appealing crisp citrus fruit, with nice pear fruit and good acidity, as well as a hint of pithiness. Nice brightness here. 92/100
McPrice Myers Beautiful Earth Red 2022 Adelaida District, Paso Robles
15.2% alcohol. This is primarily Rhône varieties (58% Syrah, 18% Grenache), with some Petite Sirah and Zinfandel added. 15% new oak, 10% whole cluster. Vivid and dense with a spicy framing to the sweet blackberry and red cherry fruit, with some lushness but also nice structure. There’s a sweet core to the fruit and lovely richness here, but it’s not too ripe, and shows lovely balance. I love the spicy detail on the finish. Very assured. 93/100
McPrice Myers Wines High on the Hog 2023 Paso Robles, California
14.8% alcohol. This is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and four Rhône varieties and then some Zinfandel. It shows ripe cherry and berry fruit with a grainy quality and a bit of grip. Nice flesh, and this is quite stylish in personality. 94/100
McPrice Myers Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Paso Robles, California
14% alcohol. This is 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and the other 17% is a mix of five other Bordeaux red varieties. It shows sweet blackcurrant fruit with some fleshiness. Has nice brightness and some chalky notes as well as a twist of good green. Fleshy and delicious. 93/100
J Dusi Wines
Janell Dusi (above) is the owner and winemaker here. She grew up as a farmer’s daughter. Her family came from Italy in the 1920s and planted Zinfandel in Paso Robles: this was the original variety in the region. She grew up on 100 acres of old vine Zinfandel, planted 10 x 12 feet. They sell most of their grapes, and have been selling to Ridge since 1967, and many others including Turley.
J Dusi Wines Pinot Grigio 2023 Templeton Gap, Paso Robles, California
12.3% alcohol. Supple and bright with appealing pear and citrus fruit with some grapey richness, too. Bright and layered. 92/100
J Dusi Wines Paper Street The Narrator 2021 Templeton Gap, Paso Robles, California
15.3% alcohol. 40% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre. From a high elevation site planted at 1800 feet (600 m) in 2013. Concentrated, rich, spicy and vivid with lovely dense black cherry fruit. Salty, rich and intense with a sour cherry finish. Very ripe and rich, but good. 94/100
J Dusi Wines Model M 2023 Templeton Gap, Paso Robles, California
A blend of various red varieties including Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel among others. Supple and ripe with sweet cherries and plums as well as a nice green streak with lovely plum and berry fruits and a fine spicy edge. 91/100
J Dusi Wines Dante Dusi Zinfandel 2022 Templeton Gap, Paso Robles, California
15.5% alcohol. Wild ferment, aged in French and American oak (15% new). This is sweetly aromatic with appealing berry fruit and some nice spicy detail, as well as hints of aniseed and cinnamon, as well as a touch of cardamon. There’s a sweet core to the palate with fine-grained structure and a bit of alcoholic warmth, but the overall effect is really impressive. Seamless, but with nice exotic spice detail, too. 93/100
Hope Family Wines
Austin Hope’s family started growing wine grapes in 1978, when there weren’t many vineyards in Paso Robles. In 1995 they started a winery and created a brand called Triana, when Austin was aged just 22. Growth since then has been significant, and they have six main brands, 160 employees and sell in 47 countries. The wines are quite distinctive, with a strong winemaking imprint. They are very successful in the USA.
Austin Chardonnay 2023 Paso Robles, California
13.5% alcohol. There’s some Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier in here too. Bold and supple with nice freshness and a bit of grainy detail. Has some aniseed, pear and peach. Good weight here. 92/100
Austin Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel No 23 NV Paso Robles, California
Sleek, ripe blackcurrant fruit with smooth tannins and nice richness. There’s a sweet core of fruit here. Lush and intense. 89/100
Troublemaker by Austin Hope Blend 17 NV Paso Robles, California
Medicinal spicy edge to the ripe sweet black fruits. Really intense with some roast coffee notes. Distinctive style. 86/100
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Paso Robles, California
15% alcohol. This wine is aged for 14 months in used oak, then blended and aged further for two months in 75% new oak. There’s a strong wood spice/clove/mint character on the nose, with some roast coffee and sweet blackcurrant. The palate is rich, ripe and lush with some coffee and clove notes countering the very sweet black fruits. I can see the immediate appeal here: this is sweet and spicy, with a coffee overlay. But it all feels a bit made and somewhat confected. Not for me. 85/100
Robert Hall Winery
Caine Thompson (above) presented these wines. He’s a winegrower from New Zealand who used to work with Pyramid Valley, and he now works for O’Neal Vintners, who own Robert Hall. Hall came from Minnesota, and fell in love with the Rhône and Bordeaux, and finally found Paso Robles in the mid-1990s. He bought 140 acres at $2000 an acre, double the price at the time. The going rate now is $50-80 000 an acre. They are converting to Regenerative Organic at the moment, after doing a 5 acre trial.
Robert Hall Winery Artisan Collection Merlot 2021 Paso Robles, California
14.5% alcohol. 82% Merlot with equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petite Sirah. Floral and expressive with fresh black fruits, with an appealing chalky edge. Supple, juicy and stylish. 93/100
Robert Hall Winery Cavern Select GSM 2021 Paso Robles, California
15.5% alcohol. 40% Grenache with equal parts Syrah and Mourvèdre. Floral, elegant and supple, with sweet fruit. Sleek and textural with some warmth. Quite autumnal in style with a lovely texture. 95/100
Robert Hall Winery Rabble Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Paso Robles, California
14.5% alcohol. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petite Sirah. Supple, bright and lively with nice blackcurrant fruit and a nice salty edge. Very stylish with an expressive personality. 94/100
Robert Hall Winery Cavern Select Meritage 2021 Paso Robles, California
15.5% alcohol. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot, aged for 24 months in French oak. This is ripe but focused with lovely vivid blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, with a slight saltiness. Nice dense structure sitting under the fruit here, which is very stylish and balanced. Has a chalky, grainy structure with lovely flesh. Manages the high alcohol well. 94/100
