Page 103 - San Luis Obispo Visitors Guide - Summer 2025

slovisitorsguide.com SUMMER 2025 103
Wine Tasting
Brecon Estate vineyard is
recognized as a ‘visionary planting’
When they first toured the
location, Damian and
Amanda Grindley recognized
something special about the
vineyards that would eventu-
ally become Brecon Estate.
Originally established in 1971
by wine pioneer Art Norman,
the vineyard is now regarded
as a visionary planting and was
recently certified as "Historic"
by the Historic Vineyard Society
(HVS). This exclusive designa-
tion for preserving California's
oldest vines includes vineyards
such as Chalone, Dusi, HMR,
and Pesenti, along with Macdon-
ald, Ridge, and Monte Bello in
the northern part of the state.
Established in 2011, HVS
works to preserve California’s
historic vineyards. Brecon Estate
is proud to be the steward of one
of the few historic vineyards in
Paso Robles.
Grindley brought over 25
years of experience from wine-
making regions in Australia,
Europe, and the United States to
Brecon Estate. When it came to
naming the winery, he and his
wife, Amanda, chose to venerate
the Brecon Beacons in Grindley’s
native Wales. “Before I got into
the wine industry, I explored,
mapped, and discovered quite a
few caves in the Brecon Beacons
of the wild, windswept Brecon
Beacons National Park, which is
underlain by a big band of lime-
stone.” Caving is how Damian
and Amanda met.
Celebrating recognition
with a limited-edition
release
When Brecon’s old-vine
cabernet sauvignon crossed the
50-year mark, it became eligible
for recognition by the Historic
Vineyard Society. In celebration
of the recognition, Brecon Estate
has released its most recent
vintage from these historic vines.
Only 235 cases of the 2022 Re-
serve Cabernet Sauvignon were
produced, and this limited-edi-
tion wine is available at Brecon's
Paso Robles tasting room.
The 2022 Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon joins the long list of
Brecon Estate award-winning
wines. Awards include Best of
Show at the Sunset International
Wine Competition, Boston Wine
Competition, and the Interna-
tional Women’s Wine Competi-
Before settling in the area, the
Grindleys looked long and hard
for their ideal property. “Being a
cave explorer, I couldn’t buy
a winery that wasn’t
on calcareous
soil,” Grindley
said. “When
I return to
the caves
of my
youth, I
liter-
ally get a
tingling
down my
neck from
the lime-
stone. I get
the same feel-
ing here. Plus,
I have cool British
blood, so we were trying
to get as close to the ocean as
possible for that cooling influ-
Cave-exploring
background
influenced
the owner’s
winemaking
ence of the fog with our roots in
a south-facing slope in calcare-
ous soil. Some of the best regions
in the world are planted
on calcareous soil.
If you like
wines from
calcareous
soil, the
mineral-
ity, the
great
acids,
and
the
aging
ability,
Paso is
ground
zero.”
With the
help of friends,
Simon and Anna Hack-
ett of Australia, the Grindleys
started Brecon Estate in 2012.