California - Day 12 (Paso Robles)

Yesterday was another beautiful day as we started our two hour drive to Paso Robles.  For this portion of our trip Dave and I had no idea where we'd go so, before and during our trip,  I asked various people (back home and pourers in Napa and Sonoma) what wineries they'd recommend.  Did we luck out!


First stop was L'aventure.  My friend Jon (who works for another distributor) recommended this and I knew he wouldn't steer us wrong.  The tasting room was closed, so we had to schedule an appointment.   L'aventure's tasting fee is $10 for four wines.  The  wines we tasted were:
     2010 Cote a Cote Rose,
     2006 Optimus (a red blend of Syrah, Cabernet, and Petit Verdot),
     2008 Estate Cote a Cote (red blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre), and 
     2008 Estate Cuvee (red blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot)
Because we were the only ones in the tasting room we were shown the fermentation and barrel rooms. It was interesting to see and talk about.  L'aventure is a small production winery with very nice wines.  Dave and I are considering joining their wine club.

The next winery on our Paso Robles tasting was Turley Wine Cellars.  The gentleman at Orin Swift recommended we stop here.  The tasting fee is $10 for four wines and you get to keep the glass.  Our tasting was on:
     2009   "Juvenile" California Zinfandel,
     2009 "Old Vines"California Zinfandel,
     2009 "Duci Vineyard" Paso Robles Zinfandel,
     2006 "Rattlesnake Ridge" Howell Mountain Petite Syrah, and
     2005 "Duci Vineyard"Paso Robles Zinfandel (it was open so we were given a taste)
Enjoyable wines with wonderful aromas, great color, and flavor. 


When leaving Turley we passed Aron Hill and decided we'd give their wines a try.  Aron Hill  just opened last week.  A beautiful property and tasting room.  Wines ...  not for us. The aromas were fantastic, but the wines were thin and short on finish.  

 It was now time for lunch.  The only place in the area was Route 46 Farmstand. Recommended to us by L'aventure.  A quaint little place with delicious food.  Dave and I sat outside and enjoyed the weather.  While eating we struck up a conversation with the two women at the table next to us.  They recommended Niner.  The one woman, Amber, we were talking to told us she worked there and we should tell them she sent us.  Off we go.


Niner was a lucky find.  We enter the tasting room and say "Amber sent us".  They were expecting us as Amber called and told them we were coming.  Our tasting was FREE (normally $10 for five wines).  The four wines were:
     2009 Sauvignon Blanc,
     2007 Barbera,
     2007 Cabernet Sauvignon,
     2007 Twisted Spur (red blend - Merlot, Petite Syrah, and Cabernet Franc), and
     2006 Fog Catcher (red blend - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot)
The wines were nicely balanced and had aromas I loved to get lost in and  flavor that made you want more.  We were not disappointed. 

The day was drawing to a close and there wasn't enough time to visit all the wineries on our list.  Wasn't that the story of our tasting days.  Too many wineries, too little time!  A quick decision was to pick two wineries and hope we can visit both.

J Lohr was our next visit.  We enjoyed their Chardonnay with dinner the other night, and ... well ... this is one of the wineries distributed through my distributor.  The tasting fee is $10 for six wines of your choosing (there were 24 to select from).  There is also a Cuvee tasting and you can have all three for $5, or $2 for one.  My objective was to try the higher tier and limited wines.  Dave and I tasted 10 wines.  All very nice and will be reviewed at a later time.

Last, Vina Robles, another winery Jon recommended.  Two tasting options were available both tasting six wines and you get to keep the glass.  The Estate Tasting was $7 and the Reserve Tasting $10.   Dave and I chose the Estate Tasting and shared.  Very glad we stopped here.  Nice wines, balanced, and enjoyable.  

We had a long two hour drive back to Monterey ahead of us. It was 5:00 p.m. and the wineries were closing.  Winery visits for today had come to an end.  All in all, a great day of tasting.