Qué Paso!?
California wines have a huge following (as they should); and, while Napa has the biggest reputation, there is another area of note. That is California’s Central Coast. There are some very beautiful wines coming out of this region, and it is especially worthy of a visit. We visited the area with dear friends a while ago and had a wonderful time.
Specifically, we visited Paso Robles and stayed at the Hotel Cheval. This is a quiet town with excellent food and a quaint town square. Our experience was refreshing and relaxing. The hotel itself was small, and the well-appointed rooms surrounded a peaceful courtyard. Chairs were set in the courtyard in front of fireplaces, and there was a nightly S’mores service. Yes – a young gentleman would come around with a cart, and you could order your flavor of marshmallow with a specific chocolate. Yum, and I am admitting right here that I sat back and let him make a S’more for me!
As for the wine, the region of the Central Coast has a diversity of terrain, wind, water, soils, climate, fog, and sunlight, all combining to produce wines capable of competing with the best in the world. The Paso Robles AVA is one of the larger appellations in the Central Coast AVA. It is known for its outstanding Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. It is also known for wonderful Rhone-style wines (which I have grown to love the most out of this area), such as Syrah, Grenache, Roussanne, Viogner, and Mourvedre. By the way, the Rhone is an area of France where these varieties predominate. Also, an increasing number of growers and vintners in the Paso Robles area are enjoying success with Italian varieties, such as Barbera, Sangiovese, and Nebiolo.
The Rhone reds are big and earthy with great spice. In Paso, you will find great richness of these wines. The list of outstanding wineries continues to grow in this area. If you see some of these names, I would encourage you to try the wines: Booker, Denner, Epoch, Terry Hoage, L’Aventure, Linne Calodo, Herman Story, McPrice Myers, Torrin, and, of course, Justin, just to name a few. Saxum is another winery out of Paso Robles whose wine received top honors from Wine Spectator as their #1 wine of the year for 2012. All of these bottles grace my cellar. If you get the chance, pop a cork and give them a try.
Some of the attributes of this area are the casual atmosphere, relaxed pace, and more affordable price point of the wines. Visit Paso and plan for a pleasant, rewarding time.
Enjoy!