Page 94 - SLO Visitors Guide - Spring 2026

94 SPRING 2026 slovisitorsguide.com
Wine Tasting
“Crafting world class wines with sustainability at the core of everything we do.”
Visit Us At
3235 OAKDALE RD. PASO ROBLES, CA 93446
Walk In’s Welcome!
805.239.4800
shaleoakwinery.com
Open Thurs. - Mon. 10am-5pm
a wine you might say is good, but
is going to get better. And, it’s hard
to believe, but it got gold that very
first time, and we knew we were on
to something.”
Their 2020 Unforgiven recently
earned a gold medal and Best in
Class at the 2025 Los Angeles Inter-
national Wine Competition. Aptly
named after Joel’s Oscar-winning
film with Eastwood, this rich, vel-
vety blend of cabernet sauvignon,
cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot,
and malbec remains a favorite
among customers.
In addition, Mystic Hills has
consistently earned awards from
such prestigious events as the New
York International Wine Com-
petition, the Critics Challenge
International Wine Competition,
and more. Their 2017 Reserve Un-
forgiven is bottled in pristine qual-
ity glass and available in limited
quantity. Each bottle is hand-signed
and decorated with a medallion put
in place personally by Joel. Their
Gran Trio blend includes cabernet
sauvignon, cabernet franc, and
merlot. Offerings of other varieties,
such as their Joyride merlot, are
produced in limited quantities
and most feature labels created
by their son, David.
Their h.e.a.r.t.s rosé was
crafted following a suggestion
from a Mystic Hills wine club
member. “I talked to Keith, and
he said it might be interesting
to make a Bordeaux blend rosé,”
Joel said. “So, we created it out
of cabernet, cabernet franc, and
merlot.” The name for this rich,
fruity rosé was coined using the
first initials of their grandchil-
dren’s names – Heather, Emma,
Alexander, Rachel, Tyler, and
Savanna – thus, h.e.a.r.t.s. “Ours
has a little more body, structure,
and flavor, so red wine drinkers
love it. When I ask the red wine
drinkers to at least try it, they
are pleasantly surprised and tell
me they’ve never had a rosé that
tastes like ours.”