By
Jason Barlow
It
had been nearly a year since my last journey to Paso Robles,
and the memories had faded, along with the heat as I made my
way back up California's famous coast. The 27th Annual
Paso Robles Wine Festival, the largest of its kind
in California, drew me back. Held annually in downtown Paso
Robles the third weekend of May, the Grand Tasting is quite
the spectacle with 93 area wineries offering about 400 different
samples of their latest vintages, a sea of some 500 wine devotees
that come to celebrate their common love of wine, and local
area chefs on-hand to demonstrate their culinary skills.
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Everyone
in attendance is festive as they stroll throughout the park
to a soundtrack of classic oldies; the most jovial even taking
time out from the wine to dance with varying levels of grace.
In my mind, it is tough to envision a more ideal afternoon.
The
chance to sample the vast range of varietals and styles of wine
the region has to offer, while enjoying the warm summer sun,
is tough to beat. During the course of the afternoon, I stopped
by roughly 30 booths. The red wines from the region tend to
have very approachable tannins, a grand expression of fruit,
and a springtime backdrop of fresh flowers on the nose. Among
those I sampled, I thoroughly enjoyed the work of Ranchinta
Canyon, Martin&Weyrich, Vina
Robles, Sculpterra, Halter
Ranch, and Pipestone.
Returning
to the area for the festival weekend, I was eager to see what
developments had taken place in my time away. Since the area
experiences dramatic 50 degree diurnal swings, has more loam
and calcareous soil with larger amounts of limestone and calcium
than Napa or Sonoma, a great diversity of micro-climates, and
a flair for experimentation, there are a number of unique and
exciting wines coming out of the region. Thus, the following
day, I went to visit a few of the wineries I had gotten to know
last year.
At
Martin&Weyrich, winemaker Craig Reed continues
his affair with the Nebbiolo grape. I stopped by for a quick
tasting of his most recent vintage, and my first impression
was that the 2004 bottles are just as good, if not better than
the 2003. The quality is a testament to Craig's persistence.
He laughed, telling me about his first few vintages and how
awful some of them were, but he learned and stuck to it. A winemaker
he met recently had given up on growing Nebbiolo after ten years
without much success. Craig's words for him were, "You
did not wait long enough." Thankfully, Craig possesses
a great amount of patience, and we can enjoy the fruits of his
labors.
Out at Halter Ranch, they're building up the
winery with new structures and great promise. They've got a
new barn and are working on a new tasting room as well. Their
good friend Mike Del Fosse hangs around sometimes making his
delicious wood-fired pizzas. Even with the construction, the
grounds are still beautiful and serene, with a cozy little patio
and vines that stretch out back behind the property. Along with
the bucolic setting, their wine is consistently first-class.
The winemaker, Bill Sheffer, was named San Luis Obispo County's
winemaker of the year in 2008, and the sample of his 2005 Cabernet
and Syrah are a testament as to why.
Over
on the eastside, out at Sculpterra, Paul Frankel,
the son of owner Warren Frankel, has taken over as the head
winemaker, and his new enthusiasm shows. For one, he's working
on producing an estate grown Pinot Noir. With all the heat Paso
Robles can get during the summer, one might think Pinot Noir
would take some wrangling, but Sculpterra's Vineyards are located
just a few miles east of the city in the Linne Valley. Because
the valley provides some shelter, it creates a unique micro-climate,
which averts some of the summer's heat and creates conditions
Pinot Noir has the potential to flourish under. A barrel sample
of the 2008 vintage showed a good deal of promise. I'll look
forward to sampling the finished product.
After
a few visits and a variety of samples, it is clear to me why
Paso Robles is poised to become California's next great wine
region. Vintage after vintage, the wineries are producing top
quality wines, and there is still room for growth. As the vines
continue to age and winemakers continue to refine their techniques,
the quality will only increase. Whether it is a seasoned veteran,
like Craig Reed, or new young blood, like Paul Frankel, it is
abundantly clear that the torch has many carriers, and they
are all going to contribute to the growing prestige of Paso
Robles.