More Paso Robles Winery Reviews

Bianchi Winery

Like the folks at Opolo, many others who found their way to Paso Robles dreamt of sharing their own unique character and making wine that had something special to offer. Glen Bianchi started out in the volume business, producing a "fairly non-distinct wine" from over 500 acres in the Central Valley. After some time, though, he caught the bug to produce quality wine, and that began his search for just the right land. He started in Napa, but found there was too much traffic and the prices of land were too high. He looked in Sonoma County next, but didn't find just what he was looking for. So he started down the coast, eventually discovering Paso Robles. He finally saw something that fit his vision and in January of 2000, Bianchi purchased 40 acres of vineyards on the East side of Paso Robles and built a showcase winery and spectacular hospitality center on the property. Situated on a gentle rise, the new Bianchi Winery has a commanding view looking west over undulating vineyards dotted with ancient oaks. The state of the art stainless steel fermentation tanks provide the winemaker the latest computerized monitoring system and the option to make select, limited production wines. Similarly, the new barrel room for the French and American oak has the capacity to allow blending and aging of small lots. He enlisted winemaker Tom Lane, and the result has been the quality estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah and Merlot planted in the winery ís sloping vineyards that Glen had dreamed about. Wine and Spirits Magazine agreed, bestowing Bianchi with their Winery of the Year in 1995 and 1997. Long time General manager Albert Paul agrees. "We provide an exceptional visitor experience. Once in the tasting room, visitors can pick up remote control sail boats to play with while sitting next to our man made lake, drinking our great wines with artisan California cheeses and breads purchased in our deli corner of the tasting room."

Amenities:
- tasting room
- b&b on property
- event site
- wine club
- wine reviews

Bianchi Winery
3380 Branch Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(949) 422-4476
http://www.bianchiwine.com/

Bianchi Winery label Reviews:

You tell me! What do the following words have in common: FreakShow, ZinBitch, Anarchy, Heretic, Biker, Maverick, Christian Tietje Well, if you guessed something to do with the 1970's or 1980's or the writings of Hunter S. Thompson or the comedy of Cheech and Chong or Richard Nixon you'd be both right and wrong and left and right of center.† Actually all those words refer to the wines crafted by passionate hedonist and winemaker Christian Tietje of Four Vines Winery in Paso Robles, California and as he puts it, "reflect the personalities conveyed by the wines and my underlying irreverence for the pretension of wine".

Christian, after tiring of cooking Boston Cream Pies and Boston Clam Chowder and Boston Baked Beans (guess where), moved to Napa and tripped over some old vine Zinfandels and after the concussion and the hang over cleared fell in love and changed his name to Christian Z. Tietje and found an outlet for his attitude in harvesting and bottling 5 different zins and blending wines the likes of which no has ever seen or swilled.† Working from the oldest and best vineyards in California, he goes "where the magic is". The most magic is found in his ZinBitch, a very limited selection of his top Zinfandel barrels.

But he doesn't stop with Zins. He bottles a no-Oak "Naked" Chardonnay, an "Anarchy" blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Mouvedre, an over the top uncomplacent, non-conforming old vine Petite Syrah that screams "Heretic", and an insane Tempranillo blended with Syrah and Grenache that he has locked up in restraints and calls "Loco".

It's not only fun talking with Christian, it's fun to see and feel his attitude and personality in his vineyards and wines.† However, it's much more rewarding to taste these bold, wonderful, innovative and really good Zins and blends.† Check out his full story and his complete insanity and all his wines at his site: www.fourvines.com

Four Vines Winery
3750 Highway 46 West
Paso Robles, CA 93446
ph: (805) 227-0865
fax: (805) 227-0863

Four Vines Winery Label Reviews:

Hunt Cellar Vineyard

Within the 550 acre estate of the Hunt Cellar Vineyard and Winery, there are four terroirs with varying elevations containing soil composites that mirror the great wine regions of the world. This is the home of Hunt Cellars, and more notably, David Hunt, wine maker and owner. This is the story of one of those great dreams come true. Located in Creston on Highway 41, great reds made by an intuitive wine maker are finding their way to the public through their tasting room, and really, the story is as fine as the wine they produce. David lost his sight in 1989, but not before he and his wife went on an exhaustive search to find just the right property to build his winery. He searched the entire west coast before he settled on this parcel in Paso Robles, and also not before he laid eyes on the white, chalky rock that would be part of the soil that would produce his wines. From then on, the beauty of the property resided in his memory. His memory was not only in his mind, it developed new life in his palate, which remembered every vintage of wine he ever tasted. This has aided him tremendously in his wine making, as each vintage brings with it its own distinct fingerprint of life. His exceptional full bodied, complex and fruit forward reds bear the proof of this tale, but the wine is just part of the Hunt Cellars experience. A background as a musician, David's love of his music manifests itself in the naming of each bottle of wine. Maestro, Serenade, Cab-Ovation are just a few of the music inspired names the wines have received. Wine maker dinners are also infused with a piano recital by David, bringing a unique experience no other winery can boast of.

"At 1,500 feet above sea level and 12 miles from the ocean as the crow flies, the cooling influences of the ocean and the 50 degree swing in the weather is but some of the ingredients that nature has given us to make great wines," says David. "It's cool till 11:00 am, and hot till 4:30, and then it cools down to below 50 degrees. Our berries are smaller than your little finger. Our low yields of half a ton, to a ton per acre are what give us our great fruit forward taste". He goes on to say. “We have Paso Robles sweet water. If you have ugly water, it sucks it up from the soil, and that should transfer back in some negative way to the wines."

Amenities:
-tasting room
- wine maker dinners
- picnic facilities
- wine reviews
- www.huntcellars.com

Hunt Cellars
TASTING ROOM
2875 Oakdale Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 237-1600
www.huntcellars.com

Hunt Cellars Label Reviews:

Justin Vineyards

Justin Vineyards is another winery concentrating on the French style. A family operation focusing solely on Bordeaux style cabs and syrahs, Justin and Deborah Baldwin started their journey with world class wines slightly ahead of the pack in 1981 when they planted their west side 160 acre property to the major Bordeaux varietals and created their Estate vineyard. Emphasis is placed on making Bordeaux-style blends and single varietals, combining grapes from their own estates with those of strategically selected grapes of their neighbors, a combination of 5 to 7 other vineyards in total. They pick the final blends themselves, concentrating primarily on a full flavored, full bodied wine that they have successfully marketed internationally. "We planted our vineyard to make a Bordeaux brand. The whole focus of making a blend that mimics the Bordeaux style, is that even when we have difficult years, we still have the wines to make luscious, full tasting full bodied wines." Their self described "fruit forward with a concentration in the mid palate" lives up to their description, as you will see from the wine reviews in the wine tasting section.
Their 25,000 cases a year of cabernet have found a loyal following at home as well as abroad, making their way into high end boutique stores in Singapore and Hong Kong. It's the local visitors who continue to grow their brand's acceptance, by offering a "visit-stay-dine" concept. Deborah's Room is a California French Cuisine restaurant with 3 full time chefs that is part of the Justin Vineyard Estate, along with a four room suite bed and breakfast that books up quickly they call Just Inn.

Amenitites:
- Wine tasting room
- Bed & Breakfast
- Restaurant
- Wine Club
- Wine Reviews
- www.justinewine.com

Justin Vineyards
11680 Chimney Rock Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446 USA
Tel: 805.238.6932
Toll Free: 800.726.0049
Fax: 805.237.4152
www.justinewine.com

Justin Vineyards Label Reviews:

Midnight Cellars

A small, artisan winery of 8000 cases per year sits a top a west side hillside in the Templeton Gap, called Midnight Cellars. There, a tasting room exists only to pour you the Hartenberger's family pride and joy, artisan wines made in small batches at the Midnight Cellar winery.

The water challenged hilltop estate of clay, shale and limestone-rich soil has produced award winning grapes that have given their vineyard its reputation for full bodied estate grown wines. Small in size. the vineyard of 25 acres maintains that down home feel to it, while planting Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petit Verdot in a controlled vineyard management style that continues to win them awards year after year.

"We are lucky if we get two tons to an acre, and farming at that low yield gives us a very intense, very big fruit, acidic grape flavor", says owner Rich Hartenberger. In fact, Hartenberger produces many intense, full flavor, full bodied wines, to include their 850 cases a year 2006 Estate Zinfandel, which Zin fans will find extraordinarily eclectic with a very distinct flavor profile. "Our Zin has a nice chalky, basil, mineral nose to it which comes from the soil", says Hartenberger.

The first Midnight Winery was located in a horse barn, but is now located in a new 10,000 square foot building adjacent to the tasting room on Anderson Road. The winery houses a laboratory, barrel room and tank room with stainless steel tank capacity of 25,000 gallons. This state-of-the-art facility allows their winemaker to produce ultra-premium wines from vineyard to bottle. You are sure to find one of the Hartenberger's behind the bar of their tasting room, regaling you with tales of their most recent coveted award, the People's Choice Award most recently earned at the annual rotary club Wine Cook-Off that took place this past Aug. 9th.

Amenities:
- tasting room
- annual events
- wine reviews
- www.midnightcellars.com

Midnight Cellars Vineyard
2867 Township Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
805-238-8904
www.midnightcellars.com

Midnight Cellars Vineyard Label Reviews:

Opolo Vineyards

For Opolo Vineyards, their zest for life takes on a distinct flavor of old Yugoslavia. The 270 acre winery hosts over a dozen events each year, including a Rhone blending party in mid-August and a harvest festival in October. Traditional Serbian dishes, like roast lamb and specialty sausages, are served up, along with a steady stream of ethnic music and dancing. The social philosophy of owners Rick Quinn and Dave Nichols carries into their winemaking practices as well. There is no head winemaker at Opolo; things are done by committee, insuring that artisan winery produces only the intense, full bodied wine profile that their palate dictates. Producing big mountain Zinfandels, as well as classic Zins, full bodied Pinot Noirs, Merlots and Syrahs as well as easy-going Sangiovese and Cabernet and Chardonnay is a result of their two separate parcels of land, 200 acres on the east side and 70 acres on the west side of Paso Robles. A brand new Inn at Opolo on an additional 30 acres of land rounds out their dream. It ís an event driven winery, with events going on all the time. Visitors can always find something interesting going on. They range from lavish dinners to BBQ, and seminars and wine blending events.† And if you feel like living like "I Love Lucy" then take off your shoes and socks and climb in the wine barrel and do the grape stomp. To give you an idea of how popular these events are, 70% of their wine sales come out of their tasting room.

Amenities:
- Wine Reviews
- Tasting Room
- Events
- B&B
- www.opolo.com

Opolo Vineyards
7110 Vinyard Drive
Paso Robles, CA 93446
Telephone: (805) 238-9593
Fax: (805) 238-9594
Email: sales@opolo.com
www.opolo.com

Opolo Vineyard Label Reviews:

Tablas Creek Vineyard

At Tablas Creek, the connection to France is quite direct. Tablas Creek Vineyard was started by the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel winery of France's Chateauneuf-du-Pape's region and Robert Haas, longtime importer of fine French wines. They chose the hilly Las Tablas district of west Paso Robles to start it's 120 acre organic vineyard for its similarities to Chateauneuf-du-Pape: limestone soils, a favorable climate, and rugged terrain.

The partners imported the traditional varietals grown on the Perrins' estate, including MourvËdre, Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Counoise for reds, and Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc for whites. The challenge was interesting. They were only allowed to bring in 6 cuttings of each varietal, and they can propagate only 6 cuttings per vine. "It took us 2 years to have enough to plant at all," says Haas. After waiting three years for the clones to clear quarantine and two more years to plant a sufficient number of acres, Tablas Creek was finally able to craft the wines they hoped for. As GM Jason Haas put it, the vision required a lot of foresight and patience, along with know how, and the difference comes through in the tasting. They planted 60 acres by 1997, and another 20 acres in 2000. Although producers of many varietals, their signature red Esprit de Beaucastel is a richly intense wine, with aromatics of roasted meats, licorice and currants, and flavors of ripe cherries, blackberries, leather, earth and spice, held together in a velvety tannic structure. The signature white Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc is spicy and complex, with aromatics of peaches, pears, honeysuckle and anise, and flavors of honey, green apple, pear, and licorice, balanced by crisp acidity on the finish. The 16,000 case a year winery is in it's 20th year, and they contemplate going up to 20,000 cases, but they are not willing to risk the quality of their wines to get more volume.

Amenities:
- Tasting Room
- Organic Viticulture Tours
- Wine reviews
- www.tablascreek.com

Tablas Creek Vineyard
9339 Adelaida Road
Paso Robles CA 93446
Phone (805) 237-1231
Fax (805) 237-1314
EMail info@tablascreek.com
www.tablascreek.com

Tablas Creek Vineyard Label Reviews:

Windward Winery - A Pinot House

When I was young, I was introduced to Burgundy and became a lover of pinot, and that became my passion," says owner Marc Goldberg, sitting on a cell phone with me from his yacht this past summer during his annual vacation. " While I was still working as a hospital administrator, I had an eye to the future, looking for land with Burgundian qualities to grow pinot noir. It took years to find. I found it in Paso Robles." And so began the self described journey of Marc Goldberg and Maggie D'Ambrosia, in their quest to grow the perfect Burgundian style pinot noir, and only pinot noir, at that.

Pinot Noir needed the specific growing conditions that the west side of Paso Robles offered, and providence provided the old Hoffman ranch to come up for sale, and they bought it. Dedicated to putting Paso Robles' Pinot Noir back on the map, they chose to follow in the footsteps of two significant figures in California wine history. In the late 1960's, consultant Andre Tchelistcheff supervised the Paso Robles Hoffman Mountain Ranch property of Dr. Stanley Hoffman. In the 1970's, Hoffman's Pinot Noirs gained worldwide recognition, and were drinking well over 20 years later. With the purchase of their new property, Marc and Maggie planted in 1989 based upon the terroir and microclimate of the Paso Robles Westside. The combination of the cooling Pacific breezes, the calcareous soil and the 50 degree daily drop in temperature produced Pinot Noir they could count on. The vineyard was already there, giving them a head start. However the couple had a vision of their own. Finding another 26 acres with the property soil consistency and elevation, they quickly added on, planting Grand Cru clones from France in 1990, with their first release in 1995. Today, they consistently sell out of their 2000 annually produced cases of Pinot, and continue to live up to their own expectations as to some of the finest Pinot produced in the states. With such small production, it's almost like a neo cult wine - people find them. Wine club takes up half their production - so pinot lovers should get in line early for this extraordinary production.

Amenities
- Tasting room
- Wine Club
- Wine review
- www.windwardvineyard.com

Windward Vineyard
1380 Live Oak Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
phone (805) 239-2565
fax (805) 239-4005
www.windwardvineyard.com

Windward Vineyard Label Reviews: