Paso Robles’s roots go back to its days as a dusty ranching and farming town, and a certain horse-town sensibility still underpins its charm.

Today, it’s the kind of former rural outpost in the Central Coast where the food and cocktail scene has gotten more sophisticated, but never feels stuffy. This vibe is what draws people to Paso, where Bordeaux- and Rhône-inspired wines dominate, thanks to the region’s pioneers.

Paso’s Pioneers

A big part of Paso’s wine story begins with Gary Eberle, who arrived in the 1970s from UC Davis and became convinced that, given the climate and the soils, the region could excel at growing Rhône varieties. He procured Syrah budwood from UC Davis that had originated at Chapoutier in Tain-l’Hermitage and planted his first 20 acres in Paso in 1975 at Estrella River Winery. In 1978 Eberle became the first Paso winemaker to make a 100 percent Syrah bottling. What is now known as the Eberle Estrella clone accounts for 65 percent of all the Syrah grown in America.

In the 1980s, the Haas family founded Tablas Creek in partnership with the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel. They, too, helped in establishing Paso as a premier region for Rhône grapes and blends, thanks in no small part to the French cuttings the families brought in, which are now planted widely throughout California today.

The Hope family started out growing apples and grapes in Paso in 1978, in the cool Templeton Gap. Eventually, they moved into Rhône wine grapes, launching five labels: Liberty School, Austin Hope, Treana, Quest, and Troublemaker.

Jerry Lohr started growing grapes and making wine in Monterey’s Arroyo Seco in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he sensed Paso’s potential for Bordeaux reds and established J. Lohr. The Lohr family now farms 2,600 acres of grapes spread across several of Paso’s AVAs.

These families built Paso’s reputation as a serious wine region and the heart and soul of California’s Rhône movement. Next-generation winemakers like Justin Smith of Saxum built on their work, bringing more palates to the place via his rich (and richly priced) and highly allocated wines.

Among the region’s roughly 200 wineries, in addition to the Saxums and Tablas Creeks, you’ll find upstarts like Clos Solène, Fulldraw, and Juan Mercado’s RIISE.

Since becoming an official AVA in 1983, as a wine region Paso has evolved significantly, and today it is more precisely defined by a collection of 11 smaller sub-appellations. Those are spread across an expanse of 612,000 acres, 40,000 acres of which are under vine. That puts Paso in fourth place when it comes to wine grape acreage in California, trailing only Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Monterey.

Of Paso’s 11 appellations, the best-known include the Adelaida District, which boasts mountain vineyards situated as high as 2,200 feet; the rolling plains of the Estrella District, where Eberle established its namesake Syrah clone; Willow Creek District, the coolest and wettest of the AVAs; and Templeton Gap, which is significantly cooled by Pacific Ocean winds. 

The smaller AVAs are El Pomar District, San Miguel, Geneseo, San Juan Creek, Creston, Highlands, and Santa Margarita Ranch.

Paso’s climate for the most part is decidedly warm—many would just say hot—and dry, but the region is close enough to the Pacific Ocean for wine grapes to survive and thrive. This is especially the case on its western side, where a nighttime cooling effect during the growing season helps build and retain acidity in the grapes. 

“Paso Robles is generally considered a hot climate, by California standards (certainly by California coastal standards),” writes Tablas Creek’s Jason Haas in a blog posting on the Tablas Creek site. “It is indisputable that during the heat of the day in summertime, Paso Robles is hot. 100 degrees is not uncommon. And yet,” he continues, the nights are “colder than in most other regions. Compared to Châteauneuf du Pape, our summer days are hotter (by about 10 degrees on average). Yet our nights are colder by 15 degrees on average.”

That saves the best of Paso’s wines—like those listed below—from straying into simple overripeness.

Paso Wines to Seek Out

2021 Adelaida HMR Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir ($60)

This winery is based in—you guessed it—Paso’s Adelaida District. It was started in 1981 by John Munch, who initially centered the brand around Cabernet Sauvignon. He eventually partnered with the grapegrowing Van Steenwyk family to build a tasting room and expand; they eventually added Hoffman Mountain Ranch’s 419 acres of Pinot Noir to the portfolio, considered the region’s oldest producing Pinot Noir vineyard. This wine is memorable for capturing California’s sunny fruit expression while maintaining elegance and structure.

2020 Ancient Peaks Jackpot Santa Margarita Ranch Syrah ($60)

From the winery’s estate, this is 100 percent Syrah made in limited quantities that tastes of tea and brambly blackberry, with dustings of dried herbs and black olive. The ranch represents the southernmost vineyard in Paso Robles, and is the only one in the Santa Margarita Ranch AVA, which features five different soil types and a cool, long growing season. Set at 1,100-feet elevation, and spanning 857 acres, it’s also one of California’s oldest working cattle ranches.

2020 Booker Fracture ($98)

On Paso’s west side, Booker dates back to the 1920s. The Booker brothers, who over their lifetime amassed more than 1,200 acres, left all of their land to charity after their deaths. Eric and Lisa Jensen bought 100 acres of their land in 2001 to grow grapes, working with Paso stars Justin Smith and L’Aventure’s Stephan Asseo along the way. The 2005 vintage was their first. Grown on limestone soils on the certified-organic estate, this 100 percent Syrah—named for those fractured limestone soils—is dark and brooding, and brimming with black olive and garrigue. 

2022 Clos Solène Hommage Blanc ($78)

This winery was founded in 2007 by sixth-generation winemaker Guillaume Fabre and his wife, Solène, who established this estate in the Willow Creek District on Paso’s west side in 2017. Hommage Blanc is a reserve white made from Roussanne, Viognier, and Grenache Blanc that is crisp and delightfully aromatic, with a full-bodied heft and complexity to spare.

2021 Denner Ditch Digger ($85)

Denner was founded on the far western reaches of Paso in 1997, in the appellations that are now known as Willow Creek and Templeton Gap. There, 156 acres are planted to 20 different grapes, at varying elevations and in different soils. The Gap is one of Paso’s cooler subregions, as it draws in ocean air from the west and funnels it eastward. Ditch Digger blends 33 percent Grenache, 32 percent Mourvèdre, 22 percent Syrah, 5 percent Cinsaut, 4 percent Counoise, 2 percent Tannat, and 2 percent Carignan into a heady mix of garrigue, smoked meat, and brambly berry. This is definitely hefty on the palate, but it’s blessed with enough acidity to keep it in check.

2020 Epoch Sensibility ($75)

Founded by geologists Bill and Liz Armstrong in 2004, Epoch’s wines are made by Jordan Fiorentini, who employs organic and biodynamic farming practices at Paderewski Vineyard in the Willow Creek District and other estate sites. These include the limestone-littered Catapult Vineyard and York Mountain Vineyard, the latter of which is in its own AVA. This wine is often 100 percent Grenache, but this vintage of Sensibility includes 21 percent Syrah; both of the varieties are grown in the Paderewski Vineyard. This is fermented in concrete tanks, and is bursting with baking spice, lavender, and dried herb.

2021 Fulldraw Bamboo ($50)

Fulldraw began in 2012 when winemaker Connor McMahon acquired a 100-acre vineyard in the Templeton Gap next door to limestone-soiled Booker Vineyard, where he’d previously worked. He and his wife Rebecca live on the vineyard, along with their two young kids and dog. While they make an exceptional lineup of red Rhône-inspired wines, Bamboo is a refreshingly lovely white—96 percent Grenache Blanc and 4 percent Clairette Blanche, all estate-grown fruit.

2021 L’Aventure Côte à Côte ($120)

L’Aventure has been one of Paso’s finest producers for more than 25 years. This fruit-forward, bold, and intense blend of 37 percent Grenache, 32 percent Syrah, and 31 percent Mourvèdre from the Willow Creek District has big, bold tannins and is built to age. Made by Burgundy- and Bordeaux-trained vigneron Stephan Asseo, who left France in 1998 to explore the world’s wine regions; those explorations ended when he fell in love with Paso.

2023 Linne Calodo Contrarian ($68)

At one point the folks at Linne Calodo swore they’d never make a Rhône-style white, but here we are. This blend of 54 percent Grenache Blanc, 28 percent Viognier, 16 percent Picpoul Blanc, and 2 percent Chenin Blanc is simply delicious—crisp, peachy, salt-rimmed with a taste of sea air. This Willow Creek producer is also known for its dry-farmed Zinfandel blends.

2021 Tablas Creek Esprit de Tablas ($70)

The world’s first winery to be Regenerative Organic Certified, in 2020, Tablas Creek produces around 16,000 cases of wine each year. A flock of 300 sheep keep its 270 acres under vine grazed. This flagship blend is made from the best barrels, a mix of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, and Cinsaut, from vines grown from Château de Beaucastel cuttings.

2021 Thacher Winery Controlled Chaos ($60)

Based on Paso’s west side, Thacher farms two estate vineyards: the Kentucky Ranch Estate in Adelaida and Homestead Hill Vineyard in Willow Creek. Thacher uses native yeasts and espouses a minimal-intervention philosophy, and this blend of Mourvèdre, Zinfandel, Counoise, and Grenache is fruity, spicy, and well-balanced.