On the Harbor: Well this time...I’m on terra firma Pub. 2-26-2018

By LEN BOSE

Every so often my wife, Jennifer, and I will head up to Paso Robles for our wedding anniversary and considering this year was our 25th anniversary, it was time to go on a vacation that did not involve boating.

We started this pilgrimage 24 years ago and found the bed and breakfast – Summerwood Winery & Inn. This modern farmhouse concept has always felt extremely comfortable to us, so we have returned five times over the years.

Summerwood Inn

We have made changes to our route over time and now prefer to have a big lunch before wine tasting and picnic in the room for dinner. We found ourselves a little too puckered up and over saturated from a day of tasting to appreciate a fine dinner at a restaurant.

Before our journey started, I had asked some friends Lori Bowman and Tad Springer, who I have noticed head up to Paso Robles annually, for their recommendations on which of the wineries we should visit.

Our first stop was at DAOU, where we had made a 12:30 p.m. reservation and barely made it on time after all the LA traffic and departing Huntington Beach at 8 a.m. Most of the wineries now prefer reservations and private tastings to open tasting rooms of the past. The DAOU winery is spectacular with breathtaking views at an elevation of 2,200 feet above the Adelaida District. Jennifer and I decided to ignore the cold crisp breeze rolling through the mountains and selected to sit outside for our tasting. While the Falcons soared beneath us, Jennifer and I quickly became at one with the lawn furniture and the wine while both releasing full sighs after the long drive. The presentation at DAOU was overwhelming, and I have now learned that I need to drink the wines we purchased at home before commenting on my likes or dislikes.
Our second stop of the day was at Denner Vineyards which we had visited before some eight years ago. Denner produces some of Paso’s best wines, so we had to return to this gorgeous winery. The prices bunched me up a bit, but I wanted more and purchased one bottle of their 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a big buck winery and it shows from the moment you pull into the parking lot with astonishing views and friendly consultants. Our appointment was with David who described the wines seductively with a touch of humor along with his celebrity impersonations. Good times were had and we will return. Should we be carrying a big bag of gold, we plan on staying at the Comus house in one of their four rooms at Denner. These rooms are magnificent with a commanding view of the valleys below.
Closing time at most of the Paso wineries is 5 p.m., and we were running out of time, so we pulled into Jada which is just down the street. I liked the wines, although I was still a little overwhelmed by the prices at Denner and didn’t purchase anything at this stop. We ran into a nice couple and came to find out that he had also graduated from Edison High school two years before me. This kicked up the energy level, so we had one more stop in us at Dilecta. The owner and winemaker are Orin Stang, who had previously worked at Booker and Law Estate Wines. The tasting room was a small barn offering no views, but Stang poured the wines himself. I purchased two bottles: one was named Tiller, a Syrah and the other – an unorthodox Syrah. While walking back to the car, Jennifer commented that she didn’t care much for the wines and questioned me on why I had purchased them? I simply said, “I don’t know.” The odd thing is when we returned home, these wines were fantastic, and I won’t hesitate to purchase more. This is when it came to me that the hilltop wineries with their views seemed to have made their wines taste better.

Calcareous Views

Day two started with a 10:30 a.m. appointment at Law Estate Wines and OMG…this place is beautiful and a must see. Reservations only, where we met Madison who was an intern from Florida who had only been there for two months and was as knowledgeable as someone who had lived in Paso their entire life. Law Estate Wines is another hilltop winery and is just below DAOU. We purchased their 2014 bottle of Sagacious, a blend of Mourvedre, Syrah, and Grenache, along with a bottle of Audacious, which is a blend of Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. Parker gave them both high ratings, so I’m hoping the view did not influence my decision to purchase. From Law, we crossed the street and went down to Calcareous, which turned out to be, in our opinion, the best value in all of Paso Robles. Wondrous views, outstanding wines at attractive prices. At this time, we took a break for lunch and went downtown to Buona Tavola, an Italian eatery that we were both very pleased with, and found it refreshing to take a Pellegrino water break.
After a lunch break, we headed over to Turley because they have always been my favorite red Zinfandel vineyard, and as always was not disappointed. In fact, their prices are much more affordable than most of the hilltop vineyards.
So that’s it…another memorable anniversary in Paso. I will be getting back on the water in my next column with a review of the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta race starting on March 2. Wish us luck and we’ll be sailing on the yacht Horizon again.
Sea ya!
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Len Bose is a yachting enthusiast, yacht broker and harbor columnist for StuNewsNewport.