In Paso Robles, a land known for big, expressive wines, Scott Hawley is an independent thinker going in another direction. Like many others in the region, he’s bucking past cliches and, in his case, making “high-energy, reductive and fresh wines.”
We recently visited with Hawley, the winemaker for Torrin, and many other leading producers in Paso Robles, tasting nearly 300 wines, mostly from the 2021 and 2022 vintages, along with 2023 whites. The grenache-dominant wines from Torrin were among the highlights, as were the syrahs of Booker and the unique blends of L’Aventure, Daou, Patrimony, Copia, Villa Creek and Epoch. Each is hot in pursuit of quality and refinement, producing wines of character from both Bordeaux and Rhone Valley varieties.
As expected, 2021 yielded several terrific wines. It was a cooler and later harvest than 2022, resulting in balanced phenological and sugar ripeness while holding acidity.
Hawley exemplifies both the spirit of Paso Robles and the potential of an exceptional vintage like 2021. His wines are fresh, meticulously crafted and offer a purity of fruit that will captivate drinkers for years to come. He attributes this to small-batch, open-top fermentations, which he said “give us a more controlled and gentler extraction while maintaining the thermodynamics of fermentation.”
This approach, combined with aging in larger 300-liter hogshead barrels for an extended period with minimal racking, creates an environment that preserves freshness and builds integrated, complex wines designed to age gracefully for decades. After bottling, Hawley further ages his wines for an additional year, allowing the fruit and structure to harmoniously integrate, just as they did in the Torrin Paso Robles Maven 2021, a pure and expressive grenache with silky smooth tannins and bright acidity.
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The 2021 reds at DAOU Family Estate, meanwhile, “have refined, pure and structured tannins with underlying freshness,” according to Jose Alberto Santos, the vice president of enology and viticulture at DAOU. This is best expressed in their DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles Adelaida District Soul Of A Lion Estate 2021, which is perfumed and fruit-driven with silky, textured tannins and bright acidity.
Paso Robles’ 2021 vintage sits between two very challenging years, making it easy to overlook the years that sandwich it, yet 2022 showcases how winemakers adapted to the intense August heatwave of that year, which was marked by 10 straight days of temperatures exceeding 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius) during harvest, by leveraging several key factors to achieve freshness and balance.
Many winemakers highlighted the role that the calcareous, limestone-rich soils of Paso Robles play in shaping their wines, helping them retain higher acidity. The cooling breezes from the Pacific Ocean, significant diurnal temperature swings and 360-degree vineyard orientations also help temper any extreme conditions during harvest.
Stefan Asseo of L’Aventure said that he “needed to dismiss his expectations of certain sites and varieties, and focus on vineyards that could hold on through the heat wave [of 2022] and maintain freshness.”
This was evident in the L’Aventure Paso Robles Willow Creek District Chloe 2022, a very delicate and refined co-fermented blend (55 percent syrah, 33 percent grenache, 9 percent viognier and 3 percent graciano) that comes with great acidity and balance alongside fruit purity. Asseo adapted to the conditions and co-fermented a higher amount of white varieties than usual, bringing that balance and bright, lifted fruit.
And the more thoughtful winemakers in Paso Robles, such as Oliver Mikkelsen of Villa Creek and MAHA, were able to capture minerality and bright fruit purity in the white wines they made in 2022, despite the heat of the season. The MAHA Clairette Paso Robles Adelaida District Before Anyone Else 2022 is a great example of this, displaying a floral and mineral-driven nose with tense acidity captured through fermentation in large-format Hungarian oak.
In 2022, the diverse landscape and geography of Paso Robles provided winemakers with a broader canvas for making harvest decisions compared with other California regions. This was especially true for Patrimony, where vineyards are perched 2,200 feet (670 meters) above sea level and 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) from the coast, with plantings oriented in a 360-degree setting.
Daniel Daou, who runs Patrimony (and DAOU) with his brother George, expressed his astonishment at the high acidity, flavor development and varietal typicity he was able to achieve – qualities that were clearly evident tasting the Patrimony Paso Robles Adelaida District Blanc 2022. Made from a blend of 71 percent sauvignon blanc and 29 percent semillon, it displayed a wonderfully perfumed and mineral nose with aromas of lemon pith, beeswax and lanolin, which seamlessly followed onto the palate with fresh acidity and a long lingering finish rivaling great Bordeaux whites, specifically those from Pessac-Leognan.
Many of the 2022 wines we tasted had a fruit-forward presence in the glass with lots of character, and their freshness and drinkability were surprising. Varinder Sahi, who runs Copia Vineyards with his wife, Anita, said 2022 “was the hardest vintage we’ve ever worked, but the reward of all that hard work paid off through relentless attention to detail in both the vineyard and winery that helped capture freshness and battle the heat dome.”
Their Copia Syrah Paso Robles Willow Creek District The Source 2022 is beautifully balanced and refined, showing lifted and vibrant layers of dark cherry, mocha and dried herbs.
A PIONEERING SPIRIT LIVES ON
Paso Robles is a region rich in living history, heavily influenced by pioneers such as Gary Eberle, who planted the first syrah vines in the United States. Under the mentorship of the renowned Robert Mondavi, Eberle honed his craft during a time when Paso Robles was still relatively unknown. In 1983, he made the bold decision to affix “Paso Robles” to his wine labels – a move that not only helped define the region’s identity but also contributed to its recognition as an official American Viticultural Area (AVA). Eberle’s wines quickly garnered national attention, becoming a favorite of then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
Following in his legacy at Eberle Winery is winemaker Chris Eberle, who, despite sharing the same surname as Gary Eberle, is not related him. But the younger Eberle still makes unashamedly old-school wines, like the Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles Eberle Estate Vineyard 2021, which also comes with plenty of old-vine character from own-rooted 1978 estate cabernet sauvignon vines.
The Haas family is another pioneer of the Paso Robles winemaking scene. They founded Tablas Creek in 1989 in partnership with the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel in France’s Rhone Valley. Determined to introduce Rhone varieties to Paso Robles, the Haases embarked on a mission to import a range of grapes, starting with picpoul blanc and culminating with tannat in 2020.
Today, Jason Haas, whose first visit to Chateau de Beaucastel was at just five months old, leads the family estate. Tablas Creek now produces the Lignee de Tablas label, featuring wines crafted from the very varieties the Haas family imported and cultivated. These wines are designed to explore the potential of these grapes across various sites in Paso Robles and neighbouring AVAs.
The Tablas Creek Vineyard Grenache Blanc Santa Ynez Valley Lignée de Tablas Zaca Mesa Vineyard 2023 is a testament to the Haas family’s dedication and vision in showcasing the characteristics of classic white Rhone varieties: it’s floral and citrus-driven with a medium body and creamy textured palate carried by bright acidity.
Closer to home, the Tablas Creek Vineyard Paso Robles Adelaida District Esprit de Tablas Blanc 2022 displays the class and style these Rhone Varieties can produce in arid, dry regions, just as they do in France, giving a very complex and tightly bound white blend.
Paso Robles has become a magnet for independent, character-driven winemakers, each on a quest to craft wines that reflect the region’s unique terroir and high quality. Names such as Booker, L’Aventure, Epoch, Torrin, and DAOU – alongside rising stars including Copia, Villa Creek, and Caelesta – have embraced the challenge. Some of these winemakers were mentored by the pioneers who established Paso Robles, while others, like Epoch and DAOU, transitioned from entirely different industries, captivated by the challenge of mastering Paso’s arid, geologically distinctive landscape.
It’s not just the classic Rhone reds and whites that are thriving here; Paso Robles is also gaining recognition for its impressive cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo, which are beginning to shine in this evolving wine region.
Verindah and Anita Sahi of Copia Vineyards are exploring the potential of their terroir with their Copia Tempranillo Paso Robles Templeton Gap District The Matador 2021, which shows a full-bodied palate, firm tannins and bright acidity carried by an underlying minerality. This idea for this offering was “fueled by the love for the wines of Ribera de Duero and La Rioja regions in Spain” Anita Sahi explained.
Jordan Fiorentini at Epoch is also pursuing tempranillo, with the Epoch Estate Wines Tempranillo Paso Robles Willow Creek District 2022 giving complex savory aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, roast game meet and tobacco supported with a full body and earth driven notes. The Booker Tempranillo Paso Robles 2022 follows the same viticultural exploration, yielding a seamless and polished wine.
Winemakers often adhere to a certain ideologies and tradition, but in Paso Robles, exploration and curiosity are embraced. At Booker, renowned for their traditional high-quality grenache and syrah, winemakers Peter Turrone and Kyle Jury are pushing boundaries with the help of a local viticultural icon, Hilary Graves, by crafting refined wines and experimenting with unconventional blends.
This willingness to step outside the norm and cross-pollinate traditional varieties has led to surprising and successful results, as is reflected in the Booker Paso Robles White 2023, which is made from a blend of 44 percent viognier, 37 percent chardonnay, 14 percent marsanne and 5 percent roussanne. The wine has a very perfumed and floral nose with a medium-bodied palate showing focused acidity alongside notes of nectarine, oyster shell and grapefruit.
Similarly, Brian Farrell of Caelesta has taken an unconventional approach by co-fermenting chardonnay and viognier, aging the blend in a large concrete vat shaped like a hippopotamus. In addition to managing 30 acres of vineyards, Farrell is also experimenting with 15 acres of truffle-inoculated oak trees.
“I believe that bringing diversity to the ecosystem at Caelesta can also lead to innovation,” Farrell said. His Caelesta Vineyard Paso Robles Templeton Gap District White 2023 shows ample freshness and power, displaying a floral nose with aromas of orange blossom, mandarin zest and minerals, supported by a textured and powerful palate.
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Stefan Asseo at L’Aventure has been leading the way with this of non-traditional blends since coming from Bordeaux and establishing L’Aventure in 1998. Asseo is known for blending Rhone and Bordeaux varieties along with pushing the limits of co-fermentation of red and white varietals, explaining that he left Bordeaux “because I wasn’t free to be able to experiment and try to make the styles of wines I want to drink.”
Asseo’s wines are unashamedly austere and refined with a high level of complexity and class that comes from not conforming to old-school ideas. If one wine summarizes the pioneering mindset of Paso Robles, it would be the L’Aventure Paso Robles Willow Creek District Estate Reserve 2022. Made from a blend of 55 percent syrah, 33 percent cabernet sauvignon and 12 percent petit verdot, it displays incredible complexity with seamless integration on the palate, carrying a full-bodied character complimented with chalky tannins and energetic.
While the 2021 wines are celebrated for their freshness and brightness, the 2022 vintage tells a different story. Despite facing one of the toughest harvests in recent memory, the region’s diverse microclimates, varied grape selection and the resilience of its winemakers resulted in wines that are pure, focused and of remarkable quality and freshness.
Although there were a few overly rich, high-octane and sometimes overbearing 2022 wines, they were the exception.
For those unable to visit Paso Robles and taste these wines firsthand, you should pick up both the 2021 and 2022 vintages, which offer excellent value and character, while the 2023s promise yet another exciting release.
– Ryan Montgomery, Associate Editor
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