Paso Robles Winery Tour

Linne Calodo, Tablas Creek, Denner, L'Aventure, Villa Creek & more
Tasted Saturday, August 2, 2008 by vinole with 1,623 views

Introduction

During a family trip down the CA coast, I had one day to tour some Paso Robles wineries while my wife and children toured Hearst Castle nearby. This was my first time to the region and I tried to taste as much as possible as I drink Rhone reds on a regular basis.

To see some photos taken on the tour, paste this address into your brower - http://www.flickr.com/photos/37631419@N05/sets/72157617152149676/show/

Flight 1 - Tablas Creek (10 Notes)

A must stop in Paso as they offer you the most wines to taste. $10 or free with one bottle purchase. They also gave me a free shipping case after buying just two bottles. Lovely people and wine.

Flight 2 - Denner (5 Notes)

A fairly new winery that is quite slick and did not charge a tasting fee if you bought wine ($5 otherwise).

Flight 3 - Linne Calodo (5 Notes)

This winery is currently under new construction and is a bit of a mess. They charge a $10 fee whether you buy anything or not.

Flight 4 - Booker (4 Notes)

A more casual laid back tasting room that charges $10 whether you buy or not. You get to keep an inscribed Riedel glass. Well worth the stop.

  • 2005 Booker Vineyard White 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Not floral on the nose, but is on the palate, along with tropical fruit flavors like passionfruit, ending with a honeyed edge on the finish.

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  • 2007 Booker Vineyard Pink 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Bigger than most rose's, with a little glycerin and lots of red fruit flavors.

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  • 2005 Booker Vineyard Remnant 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    An interesting blend of 50% syrah, with rest equal parts (16%) cab sauvignon, cab franc, and petite verdot. Starts with a red fruit profile, then transitions to dark fruit though maintains a higher level of acidity than most Paso reds, and ends with a long finish of currants. My favorite wine of the Booker tasting.

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  • 2005 Booker Vineyard Syrah Fracture 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Big, juicy blackberry fruit, with a little heat on the finish. Excellent syrah, but my Bordeaux side prefers the Remnant.

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Flight 5 - Terry Hoage (4 Notes)

A pretty winery that charges $10, but waives one tasting for each bottle purchased.

Flight 6 - L'Aventure (5 Notes)

They charge $10 to taste and you get to keep an inscribed Riedel O glass. Had a nice time.

  • 2007 L'Aventure Roussanne Estate 87 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Lower acidity, with some apple and citrus, but did not pick up any floral notes from the 15% viognier. An easy pass at $35.

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  • 2007 L'Aventure Cuvée des Potes Rosé 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Bright and well balanced, with a nice finish leaning more towards the red side of the spectrum. A fuller style rose, and pretty good for $20 or less.

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  • 2005 L'Aventure Optimus 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Lots of rich dark fruit and some obvious oak on a full bodied frame, with plenty of sweet tannins to balance out the big fruit. Prefer the 04 slightly more.

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  • 2006 L'Aventure Côte-à-Côte Estate 92 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Intense dark fruit, yet still smooth and balanced from soft tannins and just enough acidity. A lush wine with a long finish.

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  • 2006 L'Aventure Estate Cuvée 94 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Higher acidity than the other reds with some red fruit flavors to complement the prevalent dark fruit. Oak there, but not as obvious. Rich and smooth and more interesting and elegant than the other reds I tasted from them. Easily my favorite of the tasting.

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Flight 7 - Villa Creek (7 Notes)

Very laid back and out of the way, and you must call ahead as they pour on some weekends and not on others. No charge and super friendly folks serving some of the most consistent wines across the board, and their lower priced wines tend to be better values than most others. My family joined me for this tasting and my kids played with their dogs and rode their skateboards.

Flight 8 - TRIO Tasting Room - Solvang, CA (4 Notes)

I stopped here the next day on the way to Santa Barbara based on a rec from a pourer at Booker as I had wanted to try the Curran Grenache Blanc as I had gotten many recs for it. Kris Curran is the former winemaker for Sea Smoke. They also pour her husband's (former winemaker for Sanford) wines Di Bruno (Italian varitels) and Badge (pinot). They charge $15 for 6 wine tasting or $10 for four wines whether you buy or not.

  • 2007 Curran Grenache Blanc 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

    Well balanced, with nice depth and pure fruit. Clean, dry and crisp finish.

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  • 2004 Curran Syrah Four Dog Blend 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    A blend of 75% syrah, with the rest being sangiovese, tempranillo, and carignan. A combination of red and dark fruit flavors, with some crisp acidity and some smooth tannins than go into a long, smooth finish. Excellent wine for $24.

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  • 2004 Di Bruno Sangiovese Stolpman Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

    A very nice CA sangiovese, but does not remind me of sangiovese as it has no earthiness, low acidity, and rich fruit. The only expected traits I got was the dark cherry fruit and medium body. Not like Tuscan sangiovese at all, but still a nice wine to drink.

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  • 2006 Di Bruno Pinot Grigio Sanford & Benedict Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

    Light body and acidity. Some citrus and pear notes with a hint of sweetness. Good fruit, unlike most Italian versions, which have less fruit and more acidity and mineral notes.

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