Paso Robles’ White Wines Defy Expectations

Paso Robles is experiencing a refreshing renaissance of crisp and clear whites.  

At Tablas Creek Vineyard, a nationwide conduit to Rhône grapes, the prominence of Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne is not any shock. But, lesser-known Rhône varieties like Picpoul Blanc and Clairette Blanche are additionally on an thrilling rise. Then there are bottlings of Albariño, Vermentino, Chenin Blanc and Ugni Blanc that zip with freshness and intrigue with rocky minerality.  

These wines show that Paso Robles isn’t nearly massive reds anymore.  

“Let’s be truthful,” says Neil Collins, winemaker for Tablas Creek since its inception in 1998. “A summer time night in Paso Robles lends itself to a crisp, complicated white each bit as a lot because it does a large crimson.”  

Rhône Roots 

For years, Viognier was the go-to white Rhône grape throughout California, however during the last decade, Grenache Blanc has emerged as brighter, brisker and simpler to grasp.  

In 2017, Stanley Barrios, proprietor and winemaker of Top Winery, opted for the grape to star in his Axis bottling, a lower-alcohol, zesty distinction to his richer, Roussanne-heavy Poise bottling.   

“Flaunting each restraint and energy in a white wine?” he asks. “Now, that’s thrilling.” 

One of many first “new” white Rhônes to show heads was Picpoul Blanc, which Halter Ranch makes use of in each nonetheless and glowing wines by itself and in blends.  

“With so many Rhône white varieties missing in acid, Picpoul Blanc is the important thing to balanced mixing,” says Winemaker Kevin Sass, who believes it’s the “most underutilized” white Rhône in Paso Robles.   

Clairette Blanche is an even newer selection to the scene. Since 2017, McPrice Myers has used Paper Street Vineyard grapes as a single-varietal expression, in his Stunning Earth white mix in addition to coferments for crimson wines with Syrah and Mourvèdre.  

“It’s a particularly versatile grape,” he says.   

Generally, these varieties work finest as a crew, as in Law Estate’s Soph, a mix of Roussanne, Marsanne and Clairette Blanche, made since 2015.  

“Flaunting each restraint and energy in a white wine? Now, that’s thrilling.” — Stanley Barrios, proprietor and winemaker, Prime Vineyard

“It’s daring, highly effective and concentrated sufficient for many ‘I solely drink crimson wine’ drinkers to get pleasure from, however has an incredible quantity of finesse and freshness to make it crisp and refreshing,” says Regulation Winemaker Philipp Pfunder. “These whites break the stereotype and shine brightly from beneath their massive, daring crimson siblings.”  

TRY 

Halter Ranch 2016 Libelle Sparkling Picpoul Blanc (Adelaida District); $60, 93 points. One of many solely home glowing Picpoul Blancs, this bottling begins with aromas of orange rind, moist clay and the slightest trace of petrol. It’s laser sharp, crisp and racy on the palate, providing flavors of Asian pear, orange blossom and a touch of jasmine. Editors’ Selection.  

Top 2018 Axis Grenache Blanc (Paso Robles); $48, 93 points. One of many extra texturally pushed white wines popping out of Paso Robles, this bottling by Stanley Barrios begins with a shy and delicate nostril of yucca flower and honeysuckle. The tightly woven, grippy palate presents grapefruit peel and Meyer lemon zest, main into a protracted, zesty end. Editors’ Selection.   

Law 2019 Soph White (Paso Robles); $78, 92 points. Richness and minerality are expertly balanced on this mix of 48% Roussanne, 40% Marsanne and 12% Clairette Blanche, beginning on the nostril, the place white melon, gentle banana and creamy cherimoya meet with a chalky tone. The palate is creamy as properly, with peach and mango, but it surely’s the moist, chiseled stone taste that makes the wine most compelling.

Tablas Creek 2019 Patelin de Tablas Blanc (Paso Robles); $45, 92 points. Mild lemon-peel, lychee, honeysuckle and apple aromas present on the nostril of this mix of 35% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 19% Viognier, 14% Marsanne and seven% Clairette Blanche. The palate intrigue with citrus flavors, from mandarin pith to makrut lime, with a brilliant lemongrass tone carrying all through the tightly woven texture.

ONX 2019 L’Autre Femme White (Paso Robles); $42, 90 points. Rounded aromas of bubblegum, banana and plumeria are minimize by barely bitter orange on the nostril of this mix of 52% Roussanne, 32% Viognier and 16% Grenache Blanc. There’s compelling rigidity on the palate, with a flash of lemon zest, however the core flavors are harking back to banana pudding.

Racy Albariño 

Bodega de Edgar’s lineup of wines nods towards Spain, so Albariño match snugly into the portfolio when Edgar Torres added it in 2009. The grape will be vinified in wealthy or racy kinds, however his bone-dry 2019 bottling, loaded with chalk and grapefruit pith, is a super fashion.  

He’s proudly embraced the shift towards extra restraint.  

“As an alternative of utilizing Rhône varietals which were harvested too late, now we have shifted in direction of crisp whites with a better acidity,” he says. “The patron continues to demand this fashion of vibrant whites.” 

These Albariños hold onto that power fairly properly, as seen within the Mission España bottling by Derby Wine Estates. After virtually 4 years within the bottle, the 2017 launch bursts with lime and guava peel, and retains a agency grip on the sip.  

“I’ve discovered the textural part of the wines will be enhanced with a lightweight crushing, adopted by just a few hours of pores and skin contact previous to urgent,” says Winemaker Sean Geoghegan. “The ensuing wine could be very wealthy in phenolic compounds from the skins and, paired with the low pH from the acidity, creates a white wine with the power to enhance with age.” 

TRY  

Derby 2017 Project España Albariño (Paso Robles); $26, 93 points. Each contemporary and full on the nostril, this zesty bottling presents lime and guava-peel aromas on the nostril, in addition to chopped lemongrass and gardenia. There’s a really agency grip on the sip, the place moist stone and chalk flavors play pleasant with the lime-balm flavors. It is a robust exhibiting for this selection on this area. Editors’ Selection. 

Donati Family Vineyard 2019 Family Reserve Albariño (Paso Robles); $30, 91 points. Broad aromas of poached peach, gardenia, apple blossom and lime bubblegum come by on the broad nostril of this bottling. It tightens up on the palate, specializing in Meyer lemon peel and pith, with golden-apple and baking-spice flavors arising by the end. Editors’ Selection. 

Expressive Chenin Blanc 

“In my early years, the area’s whites have been regarded down upon,” says veteran vintner Neil Collins of Tablas Creek. He remembers these early Chardonnays as fairly flabby. He was aiming for a Chard different when he first tried Chenin Blanc from the Previous Bailey Winery (planted in 1969). That was virtually 30 years in the past, when he was a winemaker for Adelaida Cellars.  

“We completely destroyed it with American oak,” says Collins. “However I by no means forgot the winery and its fruit.”  

He bought again to these vines for his personal model, Lone Madrone, in 2010. The winery’s limestone soils allowed him to make Chenin Blanc within the fashion of the Loire Valley, with out a lot, if any, oak.  

“Chenin is a really acceptable grape to precise the terroir of our zone,” he says. 

Sherman Thacher, of Thacher Winery, makes a mineral-laced, acid-driven bottling every year. He makes use of grapes from the very heat Shell Creek Winery, within the southeastern Paso Highlands district.  

Planted in 1972, the location’s age and own-rooted vines, and the area’s large day-night temperature swings, are what Thacher credit for the ensuing wine fashion.  

“Older vegetation have had an opportunity to embrace their surroundings and, being own-rooted, they’ve a direct reference to the marine limestone sitting simply beneath the prime coat of alluvium,” he says.   

TRY 

Thacher 2019 Own-Rooted Shell Creek Vineyard Chenin Blanc (Paso Robles Highlands District); $32, 92 points. Crisp aromas of creamy pear, chiseled granite and a touch of pineapple present on the nostril of this bottling from a winery in jap Paso Robles. The palate is vigorous and florally fragrant with out being overwhelming, providing restrained tuberose and plumeria flavors whereas clinging to a taut body.

Vivacious Vermentino 

A sneaky toss of Vermentino sticks by a sensible nurseryman right into a cargo of vines sure for Tablas Creek within the mid-Nineteen Nineties unleashed this non-Rhône grape on the Rhône-focused winery. Everybody’s been rejoicing since.  

Extra generally present in locations like Corsica, Liguria and Sardinia, and often known as Rolle, the grape delivers strongly rocky and refreshing citrus flavors with gorgeous regularity. 

Vina Robles Vineyards & Winery, in Paso’s jap hills, planted some Vermentino within the Huerhuero Winery, a cool, windy spot. The vineyard started to make a varietal bottling in 2011.    

“Whereas we do a fruit-forward Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, I discover the Vermentino to be one in every of our most versatile, food-friendly white wines,” says Winemaker Kevin Willenborg. He likes to pair it with gentle dishes like pasta, shellfish and hen, in addition to spicy meals. “What actually units it aside for me is that this wealthy weight and easy, lengthy end within the mouth with out being cloying, candy or oaky.”  

He’s pleased that Paso Robles is lastly getting acknowledged for its white wines.  

“With the lengthy rising season and funky maritime-influenced nights, we are able to get these flavorful crisp whites—you simply have to work with the vine and cover a bit of,” he says. “In the end, you end up in want of a superb white.” 

TRY

Tablas Creek 2019 Vermentino (Adelaida District); $27, 94 points. Proprietor Jason Haas regularly reveals the magic potential of this grape for a hotter climate area like Paso Robles. On this classic, crisp and lightweight aromas of pear, lemon and lily lead into an enchanting palate of nectarine, honeysuckle and ripe melon, all wrapped in an immensely chalky construction. Editors’ Selection. 

Vina Robles 2019 Huerhuero Vineyard Vermentino (Paso Robles); $20, 92 points. Very gentle within the glass, this bottling is extremely fragrant in all the appropriate methods, providing simply sufficient hints of jasmine, plumeria and coconut oil in addition to a brisk line of citrus peel. The palate is vibrant with acidity and scintillating texture, which stability the tropical tones of tuberose and plumeria extract. Editors’ Selection.

Ugni Blanc Is One to Watch 

The most important shock grape right here is Ugni Blanc, often known as Trebbiano, which Ryan Pease of Paix Sur Terre turns into maybe the area’s finest white wine of every classic. Impressed by Tablas Creek’s Vermentino, Pease began working with Ugni Blanc in 2013. He planted one other 1.5 acres in 2020 and stays the one identified producer of the grape within the area. “It has grow to be our most wanted wine,” says Pease. 

Paix Sur Terre 2020 Maison Mason Vineyard Ugni Blanc (Paso Robles Willow Creek District); $32, 94 points. Very lean aromas of lime and moist cement decide up hotter tones of apple, honeysuckle and coconut flesh on the nostril of this bottling. There’s great grip to the sip, the place orange- and lime-pith textures and flavors meet with lemongrass because the wine clings to each fringe of the palate.