Page 93 - SLO Visitors Guide - Spring 2026

slovisitorsguide.com SPRING 2026 93
Wine Tasting
Estate-grown wines crafted by
Winemaker Keith Roberts
Farmer and winemaker Keith
Roberts has been with Mystic Hills
since the beginning, working the
vineyard and creating hand-crafted,
estate-grown Bordeaux-style wines
with Joel. Their teamwork has led to
the winery being named the Mon-
terey County Winery of the Year
and the San Luis Obispo County
Winery of the Year. Bringing his
knowledge and experience to the
team, Roberts and the Cox Family
share the same mindset when it
comes to winemaking, with Joel
calling Roberts, “a guru” and their
teamwork, “an ideal partnership.”
The winery is part of the Pleas-
ant Valley Wine Trail, with a typical
climate of crisp mornings, hot days,
and cool afternoon winds. These
temperature swings and the way
the team works the land contribute
to the growth of superior fruit for
Mystic Hills wines. The soil consists
of three feet of sand topped with
three feet of clay. Sustainability is of
utmost importance, and no fertil-
izers or sprays are used, ensuring
pure, beautiful wines.
“We are truly a boutique
vineyard,” Joel says. “We have eight
acres of vines grown over 12 acres
using nine-foot row spacing. This
ensures the plant’s individual vines
don’t share the nutrients, and they
are given plenty of space.”
It takes patience and time to
craft wines with consistent balance
and character. After the grapes are
harvested by hand and separated,
they are placed in French oak
barrels and aged 18 months before
blending, then left alone for anoth-
er year in the barrel. Once bottled,
it’s another 18 months before the
wines are released.
A tradition of acclaimed wines
Not long after releasing the first
2011 vintage, they started racking
up awards, including gold at the
2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine
Competition for their 2011 Unfor-
given wine. That same first vintage
went on to earn gold again in New
York, platinum in San Diego, and
Best of Class in Los Angeles.
“When Judy and our daughter,
Rebecca, sent our first vintage to
San Francisco, we did something
that you normally don’t do,” Joel
said. “That first vintage is normally