A deep and abiding respect for Laetitia’s estate-grown fruit is the mark of Eric Hickey’s winemaking. Beginning his hands-on training in the cellar at the tender age of 16, Eric has lived and breathed Laetitia all the way to the top, where he is now the Head Winemaker and the winery’s President. “I keep it simple,” he says, “and I stay eye-to-eye with Lino because the interplay between us is what determines the wines’ quality. Everything done in the cellar starts with what we do out in the vineyard.” While Eric makes a point of experimenting with small lots each vintage, his style is fundamentally built upon finding balance, finesse, and the essence of the fruit he has come to know for so many years. Read more here: https://www.slovisitorsguide.com/san-luis-obispo/laetitia-vineyards-home-of-diversity

Tucked into the hillside east of Paso Robles, along California’s enchanting Central Coast is Robert Hall Winery, where years of hard work and infinite attention to detail are invested into every bottle of wine we make. As farmers first, the goal is to nurture the land and coax from it the finest fruit possible from the vineyards on the Hall Ranch — each with its own personality and each expressing unique nuances that strive to capture the essence of Paso Robles.

An entrepreneur with tremendous business acumen, Robert L. Hall’s past success include ventures in construction, bowling centers, travel agencies, restaurants and champion horse breeding. A native of Minnesota, Robert resided in Arizona prior to finding a home in the Paso Robles AVA. https://www.slovisitorsguide.com/paso-robles/award-winning-wines-hospitality

Randy and Cheryl Phillips, owners of Red Soles Winery, make only about 2000 cases of wine each year, but farm 250 acres of grapes. All of the wine made at Red Soles is from grapes grown by Randy and Cheryl, and serves to showcase the grapes produced by the Red Soles vineyards.

Red Soles’ inviting tasting bar is located in the production area for the winery. Visitors are surrounded by barrels and shining stainless steel fermenting tanks as they taste through the Red Soles tasting menu, and they quickly see that this is an active, working winery. Clear industrial-style rolling doors separate the tasting area from the winemaking area. https://www.slovisitorsguide.com/paso-robles/farmers-become-winemakers-2

The history behind Donatoni Winery is apparent to any visitor to this Westside Paso Robles winery. Memorabilia and photographs from the owners’ history in the airline industry cover the walls and adorn the tasting bar. And, owners Hank Donatoni and Sandi Baird are happy to elaborate on the story that the tasting room theme tells. Though they are retired now, Hank and Sandi’s connection to the airline business is still strong. Many of their friends were once co-workers, and even members of the aviation community they have never met find their way to Donatoni through their shared histories. Read more about Donatoni Winery here: http://pasoroblesdailynews.com/donatoni-wines-take-flight/1305/

Sarzotti Winery and Vineyard serves as the Sarzotti family’s vehicle for sharing what they love to do—make wine. The winery is owned and run by the Sarzotti family, and they see it as a way to do what their family has been doing for generations: to make wine that can be enjoyed with friends and family.

Jim Sarzotti and his wife Cheryl as well as their son James and his wife Jenne, all live and work on the Sarzotti Winery and Vineyards property in beautiful Templeton, CA. James and Jenne’s children also live on the property. The Sarzottis have farming in their blood—fifteen years ago they relocated to Paso Robles from Southern California at James’ suggestion. James knew that his father had always loved to grow grapes and make wine, and saw in Paso Robles an opportunity to do this together as a family.

https://www.slovisitorsguide.com/paso-robles/sarzotti-winery-and-vineyard

August Ridge was established by John Backer and Jill Zamborelli Backer in the spring of 2001 with the purchase of 40 acres of rolling hills in Creston. From the beginning their goal was to produce wines that combine the robust styling of the best California wines with the restrained elegance of the classic wines from northern and central Italy. Their passion for the project comes from a love of cooking, eating and sharing meals with friends which leads directly to August Ridge wine style. This dream is a natural extension of both the Backer and Zamborelli families. John’s family has been growing grapes for four generations dating back to the 1800’s while Jill’s family brings the robust Italian food and traditions from a small town just outside of Rome, Italy.

Nestled in the hills overlooking the quaint artisan town of Harmony, off Highway 1, Harmony Cellars offers guests award-winning wines and picturesque views of the coastal countryside. Winery, tasting room, gift shop and picnic area. Family and dog-friendly. 3255 Harmony Valley Road, Harmony, HarmonyCellars.com, (805) 927-1625.

We are a tiny winery located on a Westside hilltop in Paso Robles. We craft wines that are a fascinating marriage of power and elegance. We take what comes from the vineyard and keep it simple and pure. Our grapes are always encouraged to speak for themselves, and if you treat them with the utmost of care, they will always quietly reveal from where they came. We follow old-world farming and winemaking techniques and our boutique vineyard is purposely geared to produce tiny yields of highly flavoured fruit. We use minimal intervention during the winemaking process, and let the fruit expose its story within the glass.

There are only two of us, and we personally handcraft all of our wines in extremely small lots. Production is low in quantity, and large on quality. Wine is our artistry; one of our greatest creative pleasures. You will discover our attention to detail and exclusive signature within each and every wine; flavours that are deeply intense, velvety rich, and thoroughly elegant. We strive to make the kind of wines that leave an enduring memory on your palate.

We believe that you will find something different about our wines. Something tangible, unique. We think it is because you’ll discover a little bit of love in every glass.

We truly appreciate you – thank you for your enthusiasm for our wines,

~Proprietors Brock & Michelle Waterman

The Hope family arrived in Paso Robles in 1978 in search of land and new opportunity. As they’ve planted vineyards, grown grapes and made wine over the past 30 years, Paso Robles has become a viticulture region of significance, capable of producing world-class wines. As one of the pioneering families of this distinctive wine community, the Hope family is dedicated to sustainable farming and making wines that are delicious, accessible and memorable. Still family-owned and operated, Hope Family Wines now makes five individual brands: Liberty School, Treana, Candor, Troublemaker and Austin Hope. Read more here: https://www.slovisitorsguide.com/paso-wine-country/hope-family-wines-2

Kula Vineyards is a small, family-owned vineyard & winery featuring award-winning, estate wines. Kula means “Gold” in Hawaiian and you’ll find it everywhere from the golden hills surrounding the vineyard to their Golden Retrievers. Visit the new tasting room at 5990 Entrada Avenue. kulavineyards.com, (805) 296-7765

Claiborne & Churchill is a small, family owned and operated winery, founded in 1983 and located in the heart of the Edna Valley, just outside San Luis Obispo, California. Inspired by the wines of Alsace, we specialize in premium dry wines made from Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris grapes, as well as handcrafted Pinot Noir from several nearby vineyards. We also produce small lots of other wines, including a Dry Muscat, Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sparkling Brut Rose, and a Port-style wine.

Sinor-LaVallee tasting room tends to attract serious wine fans. All their wines are grown organically on the Bassi Estate Vineyard in Avila Beach. If you are hungry they offer cheese and charcuterie. http://www.sinorlavallee.com, 550 1st St., Avila Beach, (805) 459-9595

The Rotta tasting room and winery is located in the Templeton hills, and features a unique blend of history and modern winemaking technology. One thing that’s definitely staying is the old redwood sign with “Rotta Winery” neatly hand stenciled in white paint. “I painted that sign when I was ten years old,” remembered Giubbini.

Bovino Vineyards and Winery is located in beautiful Templeton, California.  Our estate vineyards are centrally situated in the Templeton Gap which is nestled between the Paso Robles Willow Creek and the El Pomar Districts.  The Templeton Gap consists of a series of mountain passes created by rivers and creeks in the Santa Lucia Range, through which marine air flows into the region.

The Templeton Gap is the coolest climate of the Paso Robles sub-appellations and receives approximately 20 inches of precipitation per year.  The water gap allows marine influences to enter the region which moderate the daily temperatures and increase the amount of time that it takes for grapes to ripen.  The elevations in the area range from 700 to 1,800 feet above sea level with the majority of the wineries located between 800 and 940 feet.

The soils were created by alluvium of the Monterey Formation and are largely made up of silty and clay loams. There are some older soils produced from the Paso Robles Formation that are more cemented and shaly.  Grapes produced in this region include Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Charbono, Chardonnay, Grenache, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier and Zinfandel.

Stephen Ross was founded on the principles of working with quality vineyards and hand-crafting the best wines possible from the grapes they yield. The winery started small, grew as financial resources allowed, and we stuck to our principles in winemaking and business – great, small production wines, solid business practices, and a nice, engaging place to work for our crew.

THE ASUNCION RIDGE EXPERIENCE

The journey began when Winemaker, Philip Krumal and Entrepreneur, Michael Dilsaver met in a wine appreciation class in 1995. Their love of fine wine, great food and inspiring friendships lead to the ultimate dream of “living the wine country dream.” Their first Pinot Noir vineyard was planted in 2002 in the Santa Lucia Mountains overlooking Morro Bay, thus starting the Asuncion Ridge story. Philip and Michael’s philosophy is a simple one…”wine begins in the vineyard.” To this end, a watchful eye is given to every step of the process from “the vineyard to the bottle.”

It is Philip and Michael’s hope that you will join them in this journey.