Paso Robles, located on California’s “Central Coast,” is one of the state’s most “diverse” and “prolific” wine regions with over 40,000 vineyard acres and more than 200 wineries peppering its rolling hills and valleys.
A region that has become a destination for wine lovers seeking tradition, innovation, jammy fruit bombs, a healthy dose of “night sweats,” and even unhinged “bachelor parties” in the rain. In fact, Isaac’s “bachelor party” ensued in the very heart of the place.
But the history of viticulture in Paso Robles predates even me, spanning all the way back to the late 18th century, when “Spanish missionaries” (THE INNOCENT KIND) first weaseled their little grapevines to the unsuspecting Paso Robles “area.” The rest was history, and commercial wine production began in the late 19th century, helping the region’s reputation for moderate to severely premium “zeus juice” grow steadily throughout the 20th century. Paso Robles was officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1983, with subsequent expansions to keep up with its growing influence and regional diversity.
Climate, Geography, and Terroir
Image Source: Wine Folly
Paso Robles suffers from a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.
One of the region’s defining “features” is its dramatic diurnal temperature swings—often as much as 50°F between day and night—which help preserve acidity and complexity “in the grapes.” Elevations range from 700 to 2,400 feet and there’s a wide variety of soils, including limestone, shale, clay, and sandy loam (THE GOOD KIND!).
The proximity to the Pacific Ocean brings “cooling breezes” and fog, further moderating the otherwise “toasty” climate and extending the growing season to nearly “a million bajillion” days filled with Mr. Golden Sun’s friendly little “rays.” This diversity in topography and microclimates allows Paso Robles to successfully cultivate a huge range of grape varieties.
Tablas Creek
A pivotal moment in the region’s modern history came with the founding of Tablas Creek Vineyard in 1989. A partnership between the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel in the Rhone Valley of France and Robert Haas of Vineyard Brands (an importing company), Tablas Creek played a leading role in bringing Rhône varietals to Paso Robles and elevating the region’s profile. The winery imported Rhône vine cuttings, established a grapevine “nursery,” and became a model for organic and regenerative farming (THE WHOLESOME KIND!).
An Interlude of “Good Times”
Muggsy Bogues and some of his extremely wholesome friends at Tablas Creek “exploring” the facilities. From left to right: Gabe, Noridge, Isaac, Cosimo
Here it was that we began our journey.
Here it was that when the first of our glasses began to tilt towards the spittoon, Noridge solemnly shook his head and pointed at his mouth. The time, it seems, had come for Noridge to assume the role of “Human Dump Bucket.”
Tasting room after tasting room, there he stood—unwavering, eyes glassy with purpose, arms forming a crude funnel.
“Send it to Noridge,” became our credo.
And so it was. No drop left behind—not even when we visited Oso Libre.
They say with great unfinished glass comes great responsibility.
And who knows, maybe they’re right.
Ever will he be remembered.
Noridge.
Key Varietals and Wine Styles
Paso Robles is celebrated for its diversity of grape varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship grape, producing bold, fruit-forward wines that have become synonymous with the region. Zinfandel, a heritage varietal that we continue to “rag on”, continues to “thrive,” (according to “experts”), yielding allegedly robust, spicy reds.
The area is also a leader in Rhône varietals, thanks in large part to the influence of Tablas Creek. Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and Roussanne flourish in the warm climate and are often blended to create “Rhône style” wines.
Tablas Creek’s flagship blends, like Esprit de Tablas (which is extremely good in our unrealistically humble opinion) and Côtes de Tablas, showcase the potential of these varietals and have helped establish Paso Robles as a formidable “New World powerhouse” for the production of so-called “Rhône-style” wines. Their Patelin de Tablas showcases fruit from Rhone focused vineyards in the area, earning it the extremely wholesome title of their “neighborhood wine.” The Patelin is well distributed and can be found in such grocery huts as Whole Foods, and as such, we’ve procured one for the tasting this week.
DID YOU KNOW… Paso Robles transformed into a “powerhouse” domestic region for Rhône style wines thanks to the pioneering efforts of the “intrepid” "Rhone Rangers"—a group of winemakers like (if not exactly) Gary Eberle and Robert Haas —who championed Rhône-style blends and helped expand local plantings of Rhone varietals in Paso Robles and other Central Coast AVAs.
Palate: Blackberry preserves, black plum, prune, fig, mixed spice, tobacco, pen ink, tree bark, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, leather Profile: Dry, medium+ tannin, medium acid, full body, long finish
Blend: 33% Petite Sirah, 33% Zinfandel, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon (varies by vintage and sometimes also includes Syrah, Tempranillo, Grenache and Mourvedre)
I didn’t have high expectations for this relatively well distributed Paso “red blend” for under $20. The style of this wine is very extracted, rich and full of ripe black and dried fruits, prominent oak spice and subtle tertiary characteristics starting to emerge from 5 years of bottle age.
Palate: Blueberry jam, raspberry jam, blackberry jam, cherry jam, mixed spice, concord grape jelly, vanilla, chocolate, regret Profile: Dry to off dry, medium- tannin, medium acid, medium+ body, medium finish
Unfortunately, this is a “textbook” example of mediocre mass market “red wine” with a signature hint of residual sugar, a jammy fruit profile, lack of tannic structure, and poorly integrated fake oak flavors. There’s not much here that would indicate Cabernet Sauvignon varietal character either. Stay away, unless of course you love this “jammy” generic style in which case, “we won’t judge you.”
Profile: Raspberry, blueberry, dried herbs, fennel, nutmeg, cola, black olive, black pepper, wet stone Palate: Dry, medium+ acid, medium+ tannin, medium+ body, long finish Blend: 45% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 2% Counoise
Very nicely balanced and really started to shine after it opened up. I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity, especially given how young this bottle was. It showed herbs and berry fruit, nutmeg and black olive, heck, even wet stone. Could use just a touch more concentration but it was all around a good time. Solid pick next time you wake up in a Whole Foods.
Noridge is my kind of guy!