Paso Robles, Jan 2025: Patrimony, L'Aventure, Tablas Creek, Booker, Denner, Justin
Paso Robles
Tasted Thursday, February 6, 2025 by rnjbond with 569 views
Introduction
Spent the long weekend wine tasting in Paso Robles with my wife.
Decided to play it safe and do only two wineries per day on Saturday and Sunday so we can enjoy the wineries. This was a great decision in hindsight so that we weren't rushed and didn't get palate fatigue.
We've been to Paso before, but this was a huge upleveling of the wine tasting experience.
We booked tasting experiences at L'Aventure, Tablas Creek, Daou, Booker, and Denner (all were net new, besides Tablas Creek).
As a bonus, we also did a tasting at the downtown tasting room of Justin.
Now, onto the notes!
Flight 1 - JUSTIN Downtown Tasting Room (9 Notes)
This was almost a trailer to the weekend ahead.
I've had Justin a few times and never found it particularly compelling. I find the entry level Justin to be pretty mediocre and overly manufactured. Not terrible, but nothing I would seek out.
This was a very different experience. We had the Reserve flight, as well as a vertical of the Syrah (Focus).
The wines were much better than expected and the tasting room experience made for a lovely Friday evening, pre-dinner. Service was great too and it was enjoyable to try the different labels by Justin. I found the Justification and Focus to be my favorites and they're not too unreasonable.
Flight 2 - L'Aventure Library Experience (5 Notes)
I learned about L'Aventure from a friend of mine who is a member there. Tried a bottle and enjoyed it, so figured this is a fun experience.
Loved the history of L'Aventure and the Library Experience was well worth it. It's private and takes place underground in the caves.
The best part is getting to try four different vintages of the same blend (L'Aventure Estate Cuvée). I enjoyed the 2018 the most, but they were all fantastic.
It was a wonderful experience and I love the place. The only nitpick I have is the experience felt slightly more rushed than expected, since they had back-to-back reservations with little buffer. But that may also just be my luck.
Flight 3 - Tablas Creek Legacy Tasting (5 Notes)
We got very lucky with the weather (it was raining and grey all morning) and got to enjoy the outdoor seating.
We've been to Tablas Creek once before and have had many glasses over the year. This is an enjoyable wine and one of the best GSM blends from Paso for the price.
The wine this time was, candidly, disappointing. I don't know if the bottles had been open for too long or something else, but the wines tasted less complex and more flat than what I'm used to. I was especially disappointed in the 2010 Esprit de Beaucastel, which had too much brett to fully enjoy.
Our hostess was kind enough to pour a tasting of the 2022 Mourvedre, which was our favorite and, honestly, saved the tasting!
Flight 4 - Daou Patrimony Immersion (8 Notes)
I had a pretty mixed impression of Daou heading into this tasting. I had the entry level Daou a few times and found it quite mediocre and a bit chemically.
Then once Daou sold to Treasury for ~$1B and the online sphere erupted with outrage and the owners were called sell-outs, that didn't help.
I took a flyer on this tasting because of the great reviews for Patrimony and I'm so glad we did this.
First of all, the winery is absolutely gorgeous. Even Daou haters will talk about how great the views are. This honestly reminds me of wine tasting in Tuscany (specifically at some vineyards in Chianti Classico). This is a world away from the other Paso wineries I had been to.
The Patrimony experience is something else. We had a private guide the entire time (shout-out to Kenneth!) and immediately were driven in an SUV up to the top of the hills, which had an even more beautiful view.
Over a few glasses (okay, basically the entire bottle) of Soul of a Lion, our guide told us the history of Daou, how the brothers escaped war-torn Lebanon, and how the winery was in honor of their parents and family. I now have newfound appreciation for this winery and the story here and feel the online hate isn't justified.
The hills were beautiful and had goats, sheep, and dogs, which only made this experience even better. We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day (on what was supposed to be a gloomy weekend).
From there, we went to the cellar and did a few barrel tastings, which is always a fun experience.
Finally, we ended at the main tasting room and did the full Patrimony flight, alongside food pairings. My wife and I are both vegetarian and the wines paired beautifully with the food, especially the sourdough pizza. As a surprising move, one of the Patrimony red wines was paired with dessert and it actually worked well.
This was supposed to be a 2.5 hour experience and ran well over, to the point we had to call Booker (the following winery) to be late.
The wines were all incredible, the experience was memorable, and the place was beautiful.
This was a top five wine tasting experience.
Flight 5 - Booker Archives Tasting (7 Notes)
Coming off an amazing Daou experience, we tried the Booker Archives tasting.
We sat in a private room down in the cellar with beautiful decor and lighting. This was a very intimate experience and we enjoyed every moment.
The wines were fantastic as well and it was great to try a whole gamut across vintages and wine types. Every single wine we had was great and the pours were generous.
The only qualm is the experience, while wonderful, was a bit overpriced for what you get, especially considering the price of the actual wines.
I still love this and would recommend Booker to others, but maybe not the Archives tasting.
Flight 6 - Denner Library Tasting (8 Notes)
Denner was our last tasting before bidding farewell to Paso!
I was initially a bit hesitant here. After being spoiled with private experiences all weekend, this felt more like a "normal" tasting in a wine tasting room.
But the service was great and I really enjoyed the wines. They were definitely juicier than I expected, but in a good way (not manufactured or jammy).
Plus, the QPR here is off the charts. The Library Tasting is $50/person, which is an incredible deal.
It was gloomy and cold that day, so we sat inside, but I definitely want to come back here on a sunny day and sit outdoors.
Closing
This was an absolutely incredible trip, very memorable and a great way to spend a long weekend.
I'm glad we exercised restraint and did no more than two wineries a day (we typically do three in a day), which allowed us to relax and really soak in the experience.
I'd recommend the Daou Patrimony Experience to anyone and everyone (as long as it's within budget) and found Denner to be the standout in terms of value for the money.
I've always enjoyed Paso wines, but have a greater appreciation for the history, terroir, and wines after!
2023 Justin Vineyards & Winery Rosé 85 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Notes of cranberry, pear, and white peach.
Easy-drinking rose, although not very complex.
85 points.
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2022 Justin Vineyards & Winery Viognier 85 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Notes of green apple, peach, white flowers (not jasmine), and pineapple.
Another easy-drinking, but not complex wine. Drink now.
85 points.
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2021 Justin Vineyards & Winery Trilateral 87 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
58% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 12% Mourvedre.
Notes of dark cherry, blackberry, dark plum, and clove.
High tannins, high acidity, definitely needs time, but still enjoyable.
This would go well with lemon rice or grilled halloumi.
87 points.
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2022 Justin Vineyards & Winery Zinfandel 86 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Somewhat sweet/fruit-forward on the nose.
Cherry pits and pomegranate skin, along with slight tomato notes (for some reason). Somewhat resembles a fruit gusher.
Feels like it may develop some layers over time, but for now, this is almost a breakfast red wine.
Would go well with avocado toast or spicy dark chocolate.
86 points.
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2020 Justin Vineyards & Winery Isosceles 88 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Let's get the big question out of the way: I didn't detect any smoke taint in this, although there is a slightly ashy characteristic (which I do enjoy in wines).
Notes of dark cherry, dark plum, blueberry, and eucalyptus.
After 20 minutes in the glass, this becomes much fruitier and juicier, but also a little more alcohol-forward.
88 points.
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2017 Justin Vineyards & Winery Justification 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Surprisingly, this ended up being one of my favorite wines from the tasting.
Still pretty tannic with nice acidity.
Notes of red cherry, dried cranberry, and blueberry, with some slight lemon.
This would go well with cornbread.
90 points.
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2019 Justin Vineyards & Winery Isosceles Reserve 89 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Red plum, red cherry, and basil notes.
High tannins and really mouth-drying, with medium acidity.
I think this wine has potential, but too young for now and will likely be much better over time.
89+ points.
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2020 Justin Vineyards & Winery Focus 89 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Tried this side-by-side with the 2015 (which I preferred).
Fruity with mixed berry notes. Surprisingly sweet and fruit-forward for such a young wine. Slight cinnamon notes as well.
Lower tannins than expected with high acidity (which grew over time).
89 points.
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2015 Justin Vineyards & Winery Focus 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Drank at the downtown tasting room.
Tried side-by-side with the 2020 Focus and I preferred this one.
Spice was a lot more at the forefront of this one. Notes of mustard seeds and mustard greens (almost tadka-like). Earthy, with slight tart fruit notes.
Slight brett, bringing out the stewed fruit notes over time.
With time and swirling, this became more fruit-forward, almost reminding me of fruit roll-ups (but not chemically).
90 points.
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