What a pleasant surprise this wine region is! Just four hours north of Los Angeles and 4 hours south of San Francisco and not an airport nearby, you are truly in farmland. So leave your Prada behind and wear your boots instead. Don’t have any? Make your way to Boot Barn conveniently located in downtown Paso Robles to find a pair!
How do you like my boots?
You’re better off finding one of the many great breakfast spots here too but if you want a fancy dinner, there are a growing amount of those too. Don’t you worry!
Sonoma is an enchanting region where you’ll find flowers in your food and a crisp refreshing wine to pair with it. The town of Paso Robles is a whole different story. The vines that were transported from France to be grown here are transformed to pair with an outdoor grill. How’s that for a European flair?
A few of the wines we brought back nice and chilled in a cooler. Don’t forget your cooler!
I didn’t know what to expect when we first drove around. As we searched for wineries to try, the the hills were barren and brown. There didn’t seem very much to look at and the neighborhood is reminiscent of the outskirts of downtown Napa.
Similarly, in town, there are vintage shops, charming diners and a growing number of tasting rooms. It appears no different than any other small town when you’re driving through California though. Small towns like these are almost always sprinkled with wine tasting rooms.
Walk into Tobin James winery however, and you’ve just found yourself a party. It’s a saloon style tasting room that welcomes you like a long lost neighbor.
Ribbons are proudly displayed on the walls that look like they’ve been hanging there for years with a lot of memorabilia. Why so many logo style gifts in the gift shop? Well, everyone knows Tobin like the guy who knows just about everyone’s business in town. To have a Tobin James logo tea towel can say a lot.
This wine tasting will have you easily losing count. Their wines are really good and in a fun atmosphere, who’s counting?
“Le Cachflow,” “Primo,” “Made in the Shade” and “Liquid Love” are all found here. What were you looking for?
Paso, as many of the locals call this area, has the most variety of grapes, ( called varietals), than any other wine region in the U.S.
A popular combination we discovered in this area we never heard of was “GSM,” (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre) that is made a lot here. Rhone is also popular and among 65 other varietals grown here as it far surpasses the number of varietals anywhere else in northern California.
How’s that for a showdown? No wonder they’re having a party. Paso Robles is not just a great value – it’s a tremendous value.
Paso Robles is still a casual, relaxing and fun town where you’re not competing with deep pockets that will put you back as much as a European trip. And the locals are darn proud of it.
View of Halter Ranch at the entrance.
Wine tasting is about getting away from work, maybe from the kids… reality; to celebrate an anniversary, birthday or just romance. It’s not about breaking the bank. It’s what everyone wants and is ultimately looking for; good wine, a great atmosphere, a welcoming town and friendly service and modest prices.
Wine doesn’t have to be expensive and historically, never was around these parts. As one server in a tasting room reminded us, before the movie “Sideways,” you couldn’t give away the Pinot Noir!
Among our discoveries were the following:
Halter Ranch Vineyard
If you ever want to see a state of the art production facility that models and far exceeds OSHA standards, take this complimentary wine cave tour. The history consists of Ronald Reagan announcing his second term here, a 65 million-year-old volcano, wild cattle running loose in front of the wine tasting room, a wine barrel exploding on two vintners as they stumbled in the tasting room, and an airport runway that used to fly celebrities in and out, including Reagan.
Halter Ranch tasting room
Halter Ranch is one of the most beautiful wineries in the area and boasts a completely self-sustainable facility which is their pride of ownership. They’ve spent tens of millions on their facility with state of the art workmanship and offer tables worth upwards of $50,000 you can sip your wine on to boot.
However, all this is not to impress you as much as to preserve the land and model self-sustaining wineries. It’s what you can do when you’re worth billions and are considered one of the top philanthropists in the world when it comes to land preservation. At this point, what’s the point of bragging?
Dubost Vineyard and Winery
The tasting room was hard to find as it was truly off the beaten path. We almost left because we couldn’t find the tasting room but as we passed the storage shed, we found an open door that led into a cool wine barrel room.
We found two ladies pouring in the back room and asked if we could do a tasting and they said, “Come on in!” We later learned they produced a limited production of obscure wine varietal combinations, (again, the type of grapes they used). We found this to be as discerning even for wine connoisseurs.
I fell in love with their Blood of Jove (far right of picture), a wine that’s a hybrid of a Cabernet Sauvignon and a port. It will be perfect for a ladies night!
Dubost wines
Sextant Wines
What a beautiful wine bar and amazing wines! These wines were smooth and enjoyable and with such great value, we bought into them. We joined their club. Everything was sexy about it.
As club members, you can come sit and relax on their comfortable sofa and sip off their wine machines. I thought I could only find this at the local deli!
Warm and pleasant wine tasting room for members in Sextant.
Cass Winery
I really wish we had been paying attention to our recommendations and had lunch here. When wineries offer a “menu,” it’s usually something to nibble on with your wine tasting. However, this winery offers a full menu to enjoy on their patio with a casual vibe which is really what anybody would want.
The patio wasn’t exclusive either. It was open whether you wanted to have lunch, drink a glass of wine or just do a tasting. Again, very welcoming. With a beautiful setting and perfect weather, you’ll want to eat here whether you’ve just eaten or not.
We heard their burgers are amazing and with a commercial kitchen and a chef on site, this place is a favorite for lunch among locals. Their wines were not bad either.
View of Paso Robles
From the 101 Highway, head West on Highway 46 and you’ll find all the wineries on a beautiful drive I was looking for. This would be the road to take first.
From the 101 highway, head East on Highway 46 where you’ll want to make your way to Tobin James as the grand finale which is one of the last wineries you’ll get to. Just don’t forget to have a designated driver by then. Holy cow!
Enjoy the view while tasting
Always know you have a home to come to in Sonoma County, but when in Paso Robles, the Marriott Courtyard will do!
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