Daou Vineyards & Winery
Daou Vineyard Tasting Room
When visiting a wine region such as Paso Robles, how do you decide which wineries to visit (keeping in mind there are well over two hundred in San Luis Obispo County)? One might first identify those that are familiar such as J. Lohr Vineyards, Justin, or Tablas Creek. Another might be based on recommendations from those in the know to visit small lessor known wineries such as Adelaida Cellars, Oppolo Vineyards, and Hearthstone Vineyard & Winery. One more way is to discover a wine while dining in Paso Robles at a top restaurant such as Robert’s Restaurant and Wine Bar (1218 Pine Street, Paso Robles). Besides enjoying a wonderful meal and great hospitality, my waitress suggested a wine I had yet to try, a 2008 Daou Celestus (a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Verdot) from a relative newcomer, Daou Vineyards & Winery. This bottle was a great complement to the main course – beef stroganoff braised short ribs. There are several good restaurants in Paso Robles, but one not to miss is Roberts - highly recommended.
I decided to visit the winery the next day.
2009 Daou Celestus Tasting Notes: (from the winery)
The sight offers a dark cherry core with a bright ruby rim. Aromas of freshly pressed strawberries and marionberries dominate the nose followed by fine black pepper and a slight indication of shaved dark chocolate, finishing with intense aromas of vanilla bean. Fresh red fruit, particularly flavors of abundantly ripe raspberries, followed by the skins of freshly picked blueberries dictate the palate. The floral notes are driven by a fresh bouquet of lilacs and the structure is a pleasant balance of medium tannins and acidity enhanced by the proper selection of oak and toast levels.
90+ points – Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar, November 2011
The winery is really easy to find. From downtown (Spring Street) drive North to 24th street and take a left. Follow 24th as it becomes Lake Naciemiento Road. Take a left
View from Daou Vineyard Tasting Room
onto Adelaida Road, and then another left on Hidden Mountain Road. Altogether about a 15 minute ride from downtown Paso Robles. The first thing you will notice as you see the sign for Daou Vineyards is that you are driving a fairly steep straight road to a new winery location. During my visit the construction crews were still hard at work on the patio ( a little distracting, but Blake Brown, Tasting Room Associate made the visit memorable).
I am always impressed by tasting room personnel who are not only very hospitable, but also very knowledgable when it comes to the vineyard and the wines. In between pours, Blake provided some background regarding the winery and the unique location in the Adelaida Valley.
Daniel and George Daou (brothers) bought land that originally was part of the historic Hoffman Mountain Ranch Vineyard in 2007 with the intention of producing very high quality, low production Bordeaux blends as well as exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. This site (now nicknamed Daou Mountain) has the the right mix of elevation, marine influence, and sun exposure to produce exceptional grapes to support their vision. Combine that with meticulous vinification and selection, I think they have a winning formula.
To learn more about Daou Vineyards and their wines, you can sign up for the Daou Newsletter, follow Daou on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, read their blog, or become a member of Club Daou.
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Hearthstone Vineyard & Winery
One of the pleasure
s of a visit to Paso Robles is the ability to explore dozens of small production winerys and taste the excellent Rhone and Bordeaux blends, which Paso is known for. One of those visits included a stop at Hearthstone Vineyard & Winery, located on Vineyard Drive, a snaking road off of Route 46 West of Paso Robles.
Hearthstone Vineyard & Winery was established in 1999 by Hoy Buell, a Cal Poly graduate and horticulturist who decided to focus on grape growing in the Adelaida Valley. Hearthstone’s first vintage debuted in 2003 four years later.
Today at 1400 feet, the vineyard includes several varieties including selected clones of Zinfandel, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Viognier, and Roussanne. Some of these are offered as a single variety wine, while most are carefully blended by Rhone or Bordeaux variety.
At Hearthstone there is also strong focus on sustainable farming. Deep irrigation is used minimally and organic fertilizers are applied to keep vines healthy. Only the basic necessities for balanced growth are supplied as vines adjust gradually to the natural elements. Mr. Buell is obviously applying many lessons learned from his ownership and management of Greenheart Farms in Arroyo Grande.
On my visit I spent some time speaking with Josslyn Wagster, the Tasting Room Manager. Josslyn was kind enough to pour several very well made Rhone and Bordeaux blends as well as single varieties. One of the great advantages of visiting small production wineries (besides the wine of course!), is the hospitality and knowledge of those pouring the wines. If you’re into wine, there is nothing better than an engaging conversation about the wines, location, and history with someone local. At Hearthstone, Josslyn made the visit both enjoyable and educational.
Unfortunately, one limitation of small production wineries is that they simply don’t produce that much wine, which means unless you can visit locally it is difficult to find their wines, and due to security limitations today, there are only so many options for purchasing and carrying some of these hard to find wines back home. One suggestion (thanks Josslyn!) when in Paso Robles is to use Safe Haven Wine Services. Here you can purchase wines at one or more wineries and Safe Haven will pick up the wines, package them, and then ship them back for you (except if you live in AR, KY, MD, MS, MA, NH, PA, SD or UT – thanks to a continuation of a three-tiered monopoly).
If you’re traveling in Southern California, you can find Hearthstone Vineyard wines available at several restaurants and local retail stores or visit them at 5070 Vineyard Drive (leave the 101 at Route 46 heading West and continue about 5 miles. Take a right at Vineyard Drive, Heathstone Vineyard will be on your right about 4 miles in).
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Justin Winery Paso Robles
With a very successful 30 year history and an annual 50,000+ case production of Bordeaux blends (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc) and other single grape varieties (Red: Tempranillo, Malbec, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot / White: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier), Justin Winery is remains a must visit when staying near, passing through, or staying in Paso Robles.
Although a bit removed from downtown itself (located at the end of Chimney Rock Road in the Adelaida Valley) on the West side of Paso Robles, its definitely worth the ride. 
Besides some outstanding wines (which I will get to in a moment), the grounds include an inn, restaurant, well-maintained gardens and place to picnic as well as for those of us really into wine, examples of various trellis systems including one designed and implemented in the Justin vineyard itself.
One of the more iconic wines produced is the Justin Winery ISOSCELES Bordeaux blend (first production year was 1987), somewhat akin to a left-bank Pauillac or Margaux with a different blend each year of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and perhaps Petit Verdot). Not sure where the name came from except to say that the definition of “Isosceles” as a triangle is having two sides of equal length. Perhaps the origin for naming it Isosceles was the concept of equal parts of each variety (although in practice the Cabernet Sauvignon normally plays the major part of the blend). In any case, this blend has been lauded with a London International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande trophy in 1994 for the Best Blended Red Wine Worldwide and named number 6 wine in the world by Wine Spectator in 2000 for the 1997 ISOSCELES offering.
Learn more about Justin Winery Wines
However, in this very competitive industry great wines are not enough. In the most recent Justin Winery Newsletter Justin Baldwin explained, “I am often asked what the most important thing at a winery is. The answer is easy – great wines! However, that answer is always followed up by a list of the next most important items on the list. They are in order of importance – marketing, marketing, and marketing!”
Unlike some owners, Mr. Baldwin has put into action that which he has preached – from hiring a well known and successful 
luxury wine brand marketer – Jason Shorrock as VP, Director of Sales and Marketing, to a strong Social Media effort including Facebook and Twitter, its own Justin Winery blog, Smart Links (using QR codes), its own Newsletter, Wine Club (Justin Wine Society), hosting events, charitible giving, and certainly its bed and breakfast and restaurant.
While all of the marketing activity above provides brand recognition and buzz for the winery, at the end of the day personal attention, friendly service and knowledgeable staff are essential to building a strong wine brand. I can happily say that this is exactly what I experienced when visiting the tasting room earlier this Fall. Not only were the wines all well made, but the staff were enthusiastic about their product and their company.
“To belong in the company of the finest wines in the world” is Justin Baldwin’s mission statement.
I can confidently say that he has put together a strong team and the right strategy to achieve what he set out to do. So when visiting Paso Robles be sure to take the drive out to Justin. You’ll enjoy the grounds, the courteous staff, and certainly the wines.
Paso Robles, Spain??
Courtesy Paso Robles City Website
It wasn’t very long ago that I mentioned I was heading to Paso Robles to visit some wineries. A colleague at work responded “oh, so your heading to Spain?”. OK for those into wine we all know Paso Robles is just about half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but to many Paso Robles is still somewhat of an unknown.
Compared to Sonoma or Napa Valley, Paso Robles is very young in wine terms having been known more for its cattle and cowboys until only a few years ago. Sure, there have been wineries in Paso Robles for some time, but until just a few years ago that number was closer to a dozen versus the couple of hundred you will find today. Whether you drive North, South, East or West from Paso, you will run into one winery after another. My kind of vacation spot!
Lots of delicious Syrah (likely the most planted Rhone variety in California often co-fermented with Viognier) can be found across the valleys, but also some lesser known reds such as Grenache, Counoise, and Mourvedre, as well as for the whites Viognier (a great alternative to Chardonnay), Roussanne, Marsanne and Picpoul Blanc.
There is such a focus on the Rhone varieties that a group of wineries call themselves the Rhone Rangers. Some of these are fairly well known such as J. Lohr Vineyards, Justin Vineyards, and Robert Hall, while others are much smaller, boutique wineries such as Adelaida Cellars, Halter Ranch Vineyard and Jada. For a complete list I suggest visiting The Rhone Rangers.
Unlike Napa Valley and somewhat Sonoma, Paso Robles is still pretty laid back. Many of the wineries offer a complimentary or $5 tasting fee (refundable with purchase), although some do charge more for a tasting of their reserve wines. However, across all of the wineries I visited (and there were many 
, I found the people pouring to be friendly, very knowledgeable and passionate about their wine.
Whether you are partial to red or white varieties, table or port (try Roxo Cellars, – the tasting room is right downtown on the square) you won’t be disappointed!
Read MoreA tale of two wineries
Recently two wineries have gone on the block and have been purchased by deep pockets.
On the West coast we have the Inglenook name puchased by Francis Ford Coppola (adding to a previous purchase in 1975).
Inglenook is one of the oldest wineries in America founded in Rutherford, California in 1879 by by Gustave Niebaum. Although shutdown during Prohibition, it was subsequently reopened by his widow who brought in fresh talent, and finally under the management of his great-nephew, John Daniel Jr. , the winery once again was seen as one of the best. Unfortunately, after being sold to Heublein in 1969, the focus was not on quality wine, but instead on jug wine. This continued with the subsequent sale to Constellation (at the time Canondaiqua) in the early nineties.
On the opposite coast, we have the Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia. Based on the description from the Kluge website: “Established in 1999, Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard aspires to be one of the East Coast’s most prestigious wineries. Helmed by Patricia Kluge, the winery is tucked into Carter’s Mountain on the edge of the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains in Charlottesville, Virginia. Kluge’s 2,000-acres are just miles from the birthplace of American viticulture, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.” For more background on the story check out this article in the Washington Post.
In this case the purchaser of the winery is Donald Trump, a 776 acre estate valued earlier at $70M and purchaed for $6.2M. The plan apparently is to keep the same team (Patricia Kluge / William Moses) in place.
So which name do I expect to see great things happening? Let’s see…..
Mr. Coppola intends to restore the prestige to the Inglenook name. In order to do that he has hired the estate director of Chateau Margaux (Philippe Bascaules) and consultant Stephane Derencourt (who has been working with Rubicon since 2008).
On the other hand we have Mr. Trump, who in his own words said: “I’m really interested in good real estate, not so much in wine. This place had a $28 million mortgage on it, and I bought it for $6.2 million. It’s a Trump deal!”
Well…. perhaps Mr. Trump has not done his home work this time. There is an old saying “it takes a large fortune to make a small fortune” in the wine business. For those seeking profit as the main objective, the wine business may not be the best bet.
Inglenook or Kluge Estate? My bet is on Inglenook. As they say … “It was the best of times … it was the worst of times…..
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