As stated in an earlier post, Paso Robles’ west side offers a bountiful list of tasting rooms to visit. When the Adelaide Inn offered us complimentary tour and tasting at Justin and knowing their reputation, I knew this was something we had to do. Since Justin was a 30-minute drive, we planned this day around this first stop. On the downside, some of the wineries we hoped to see we had to pass because of they were closed on this day.
Justin
Jim, our guide and taste leader, was outstanding. Given harvest and production was in progress, we tasted production-ready grapes and 4-day old juice, observed grape sorting, toured the wine cave, and received a clear explanation of the processes used to make Justin one of the finest wines anywhere. We bought here and will consider joining their wine club.
Halter Ranch
Jim (from Justin) recommended the stop. Halter Ranch sells 70% of its grapes, but makes fine wine from what it keeps. Growing 19 varietals allows them to produce both blends and single varietal wines. Very good, but we didn’t purchase.
Opolo
Since 3-4 sources recommended Opolo, it was a must stop – and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the tasting barn’s casual ambiance and their zinfandel had the taste I wanted. Buy!
My thoughts of zin grapes falling from the sky must be a dream.
Four Vines
We stopped at Four Vines because they are noted for their big zinfandels. Since they were out of the ones I wanted to try – plus we can get some Four Vines wine at home – we didn’t taste. Besides, they were in the midst of remodeling.
Peachy Canyon
As another noted zinfandel producer, I was looking for another zin that I couldn’t find at home – besides, we were running out of time. Tasting 5 zins and a petite syrah was such a pleasure, I called my friend Bill (at home) just to find out what he was doing at the time. Snow and Especial zins were outstanding! We bought here. By the way, their Incredible Red is a very-reasonably priced daily wine with a wide distribution.
Nut Groves & Oils
No, this is not a winery, but walnut, almond, and olive grooves are located throughout the region.
West Side Wineries to Visit Next Time
- Dover Canyon
- Minassian-Young
- JanKris
- PasoPort
- Jack Creek
- Booker
- Tablas Creek
- Thatcher
Other Posts about this Trip
- On a Paso Vacation
- On Paso Wines
- On Downtown Paso Wines
- On Paso East Side Wines
- On Rustling Paso WestSide Wines
No comments:
Post a Comment