California is known for it’s internationally award winning wines. Large growing regions include Napa and Sonoma in the north and Temecula in the south. And, in the middle of these two is my favorite, San Luis Obispo (commonly referred to as SLO) County, which includes Paso Robles and Edna Valley.
As with the all wine regions within California, you can find your type of winery to go with your taste and style. For those who want name brands that you can easily purchase at your favorite wine store later, there are places like Justin and Talley. Personally, I prefer the smaller wineries where your tastings are often poured by the winemaker or the owner who will share with you the history of the winery and sometimes even sit down with you to share a glass of their favorite wine. Recently, we spend a weekend with friends staying at The Cliffs in Pismo Beach. It’s right on the water and beautiful. From here, you can take day trips to both area.
In Edna Valley, the volcanic soils feed the vine’s roots while the cool temperatures created by the fog and breeze off the Pacific Ocean keep the grapes cool. As a result, the region has some delicious Chardonnay’s and, Pinot Noirs. Here are our picks to visit with a map.
Talley Vineyards
First stop, Talley! The vineyards have been a family-owned business for the last three generations. The winery sets up on top of a small hill with great views. Their wines have been served at many White House dinners and you can see the menus on the wall.
Tastings are $15 and waived if you spend more than $50. Our favorite was the 2015 Pinot Noir which runs $36.
Wolff Vineyards
Wolff Vineyards is a smaller location with a terrific patio that you can sit on and enjoy the view. They create Pinot Noir, Teroldego, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Riesling.
Tastings are $10 and refundable with a purchase of a bottle. We loved their Old Vine Chardonnay (2105) $25 and their Teroldego (2016) $30.
Chamisal Vineyards
Chamisal was the first winery to plant vines in Edna Valley. They grow Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah and Pinot Gris. They have one building with a tasting bar. We didn’t actually purchase any wines here but sat outside and enjoyed the atmosphere. They have some pretty cool photos inside that were taken by a previous employee.
Saucelito Canyon Vineyards Our Pick Hands Down for the “Best of Show”
Saucelito won our award for our favorite wine of the day. In fact, we were very tempted to go back the next day to purchase a couple more bottles.
As it was, we did purchase our share with both a 2015 and 2106 Zinfandel ($35), and a 2105 Muchacho ($29). The tasting room is small but hey, it was beautiful outside so we sat on the patio and ate lunch. Afterward, they brought us a taste of their 2015 Late Harvest Zinfandel ($26). –Darn it. It was delicious and I had to back to buy it.
Tasting cost is $12 and is waived with a purchase of a bottle. This shouldn’t be a problem here.
Claiborne & Churchill Winery
This winery was started in 1983 by a couple who were previously teachers at the University of Michigan. Their tasting room is really just one small bar along with the barrels stacked up behind. Their signature wines are Dry Riesling and the Dry Gewürztraminer, which aren’t a common varietal you find fermented in the area.
Tastings are $15 and are waived with a $30 purchase.
Paso Robles
We spend our second day, in Paso. There more than 200 wineries in Paso, it’s one of the fastest growing regions. So what type of wines are produced here? Well, it’s warmer than Edna Valley and its known for its reds. Particularly, its Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon along with Rhône Blends including Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre. Here is the driving map.
Justin Winery
Our must stop of the day was Justin. They are famous for their Bordeaux-style blends and their signature wine, Isosceles. Justin makes great wines and you’ll pay for them here so if you’re on a limited budget, you might want to skip this one. We splurged and bought a bottle of Justification ($60) that will be saved for that special evening.
Tasting fees are $20.
Debost- Our pick for the “Most Friendly and Enthusiastic”
Debost is the opposite of Justin in terms of atmosphere. It’s a small winery that has been in the family for years. Kate, pours the wine and started the winery with her husband. I loved this place. Her enthusiasm is contagious and the wines are good. We were given a tour of their new tasting room that will open soon along with playing with Freckles the cat in the vineyards. She told us the movie Destination Wedding with Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder was recently filmed here. We bought a bottle of their 2016 Rose.
Tolo- Our pick for “Best Surprise of the Day”
Tolo was our find of the weekend. Specializing in Zins, every single one of these wines hit it out of the park. The winemaker, Josh Gibson, actually poured our wine and needless to say, we bought some, including my favorite Delos which I think has hints of black licorice. We also purchased a bottle of Leros ($37).Looking back at the website, it looks like he might be out of the Delos. Damn! I knew I should have bought more. This will be my go “back to” winery.
Tasting costs were waived with a purchase. If you like reds, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Tabals Creek
Priding themselves on Rhone wines, I personally found this winery disappointing. They were very pretentious and none of us enjoyed their wines.
Tastings are $15 and waived with a bottle purchase.
Brecon Estate
Brecon Estate is located next to a little stream. Their winery is quite busy with outdoor/indoor seating and very cool patio furniture that is reminiscent of something you take home after a barn sale. Their wines are made in small batches and good. By the time we got to Brecon, we were about wined out being it was our sixth winery of the day. Next time, we’ll have to do this one earlier.
I forgot to write down the tasting fee but there is one here.
Fratelli Perata Winery
This little winery is family-run in the Italian style started by Gino and Carol Perata along with brother, Joe. Carol, the woman that served us, is the widow of the original winemaker who handed it down to his children who now run the winery. It very old world and when I asked her about her favorite, she replied it was all about the food and the pairing. She then proceeded to make me very hungry for an Italian feast. Included on their website are at least five, yes, I said five recipes that will make you crave. Their wines are bold and very good. We bought the 2013 Sangiovese (around $44) which waived the tasting fee.
Castoro Cellars
Our last winery of the day was Castoro. This is a large winery with a huge menu to choose from. Their motto is that they make "dam fine wines," which is true. Each label sports a picture of a beaver and the hand out beaver stickers to everyone. We rallied here, tasting our share of more than 750 acres of wine that is produced here. They had me at the Late Harvest Zinfandel ($30) and I couldn’t resist the apricot ginger mustard.
Tastings here are $10 for 7. Well worth it.