This past weekend was a good time to get to Paso Robles to sample
wines from several of its acclaimed producers. I visited tasting rooms of four
wineries, all coming off glowing reviews in the recently released edition of
the Wine Advocate. And fortunately all had releases to show, as the top end of
Paso Robles wine can sometimes be in short supply.
Tablas Creek Vineyard
The Westside of Paso Robles is home to some of the foremost producers of Rhône varietal blends in
Also emerging on Paso’s Westside have been a number of
noteworthy producers such as Saxum, where Justin Smith’s limited production and
high scores have rendered them as the “cult winery” of Paso Robles. Names such
as L'Aventure, Denner, Booker, Villa Creek, Linne Calodo & Terry Hoage have been
similarly lauded. These wineries are making rich and robust wines from mostly
Rhône varietals in the bucolic hillsides of Westside Paso Robles around the Templeton Gap. The rocky calcareous soils, hot days with cool nights, and long growing
season produces powerful and concentrated wines that have as much in common
with Priorat as they do with the Rhône Valley. My visits took me to Terry Hoage
Vineyards, Booker Vineyard, Villa Creek Cellars, and Linne Calodo.
The winery and tasting room at Terry Hoage Vineyards sits atop a hillside overlooking the vineyards. The wines I tasted were all made from estate-grown Rhône varietals ranging from the lively 2011 Picpoul Blanc to several red blends. The reds are named from Hoage’s college and NFL football career. A pair of these so-named 2009’s were my favorites. The 2009 The 46 Grenache/Syrah (named for coach Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense from Hoage’s days with the Philadelphia Eagles) showed nice lavender and mineral notes to balance out the powerful fruit. The 2009 The Hedge Syrah (named for The Hedges atUniversity of Georgia
Terry Hoage Vineyards
The winery and tasting room at Terry Hoage Vineyards sits atop a hillside overlooking the vineyards. The wines I tasted were all made from estate-grown Rhône varietals ranging from the lively 2011 Picpoul Blanc to several red blends. The reds are named from Hoage’s college and NFL football career. A pair of these so-named 2009’s were my favorites. The 2009 The 46 Grenache/Syrah (named for coach Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense from Hoage’s days with the Philadelphia Eagles) showed nice lavender and mineral notes to balance out the powerful fruit. The 2009 The Hedge Syrah (named for The Hedges at
Booker Vineyard
Villa Creek Cellars
A visit to Villa
Creek Cellars takes you along quiet Peachy Canyon Road back toward
downtown Paso Robles. You’re likely to pass wild turkeys along the side of the
road while heading out so keep your eyes peeled! A pair of wines from the cool
2009 vintage stood out here. Adding Tempranillo into the mix, the 2009 Mas
de Maha (Tempranillo/Grenache/Mourvedre/Carignan) threw down earth and
clove with deep black fruit. The 2009 Damas
Noir Mourvedre was filled with the long grip of smoke, pepper, anise
and black fruit. What I liked at Villa Creek was the liveliness and structure
of the wines. Choose
the link for all of the wines tasted.
Wild turkeys along Peachy Canyon Road
The Mothership at Linne Calodo
Last stop was through the gates to the impressive
cedar-built winery at Linne Calodo. The tasting was limited to three wines, so I
counted the excellent 2010 Martyr (a Mourvedre/Syrah/Tannat/ Grenache blend) as
two! Here I got layers of wild berries, dried lavender and crushed stone through
a polished firm structure. Very nice indeed. Choose the link for all of the wines tasted.
From the best sites and in the right hands, this opulent style
of wines in Paso’s Westside show the right touches of balance, several of which
left an indelible mark in my memory. I’m interested to see how these wines age and/or hold in the
bottle. Both the earliest examples of the more modern style of
Saxum, and the more traditional style of Tablas Creek appear to be drinking
well at 12 years of age according to recent CellarTracker notes. Some of the
wines I tasted this weekend appear to be a worthy bet.
