Just got back from my first trip to Paso. To all of y'all who offered recs in one of the many "where should I taste in Paso" threads, thank you for the advice! There were so many interesting wineries to choose from. I was a bit late on getting reservations, so a lot of places I wanted to go were already sold out. (Rec to anyone traveling on the weekend during Covid restrictions: BOOK EARLY!)
Sextant: We enjoyed this tasting. All the wines were very good -- nice to drink, big like Paso but with some elegance (acidity and floral notes) that balanced it out. I rarely get excited about Chardonnay, particularly when there's notable oak, but I really liked theirs. The Cab was the clear standout, but we were also really happy with the Zin, Merlot, and especially the GSM. Overall, this is a place we'd go back to on a future trip.
Niner: We were hoping for a bit more here. Their Pinot had a nice nose (floral, earth, bright red fruits). The Cab was tight and didn't feel like it was ready to drink yet. All the wines were fine but nothing that got us excited. Of all the places we visited, they also had the least engaged service. I know Covid restrictions are a thing and that wine tastings aren't the same right now, but at no point were we given any information about the wines and our server/host was never available to answer any questions (nor seemed to have any interest in doing so). It was like getting a tasting flight at a wine bar rather than a vineyard. Which was fine -- it was a beautiful day and the view from the patio was great. But we didn't learn anything about the wines or the winery.
Lone Madrone: This was our favorite place to sit (though all were really pretty). The drive down Adelaide is worth it by itself, and the patio here has a great view out across the valley and hills. The wines almost got me excited. There were some good ones, particularly the '16 Zin they brought out for us to compare to the '17 new release Zin. When I saw they had a '14 Nebbiolo, I was pretty excited but that wine actually disappointed me. It tasted a little muted compared to what I was expecting. Both whites (Grenache Blanc and Picpoul) were good, as was the Dodd (Petite Verdot, Zin, Tannat, Cab blend).
Villa Creek: This one was the big winner of the trip. We freaking loved these wines. Tasted a Fiano, Garnacha, This Way That Way (a 50/50 Grenache/Mourvedre blend), Avenger (Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Carignan, Mourvedre), and 3 (Syrah from three sites). At the end, when we'd decided to join, we were interested in getting at least one of their library wines. There was a '15 Syrah that caught our eye, and they immediately grabbed a bottle and Coravined a couple of pours for us. We probably would've bought it anyway without the tasting, but the wine was exactly what gets us excited about Syrah (cool climate, peppery, meaty, lovely black fruits).
Anyway, we had a great trip. Paso is beautiful and so much fun to drive around the vineyard areas. Our usual trip is to Santa Ynez, which is closer for us. I don't think Paso eclipsed SYV, but it's somewhere we'll want to go back to semi-regularly.
For 15 years, Athan Zafirov has traveled the vineyards around the world and worked with some of the greatest chefs including Francois Duc and Alan Brown.
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