Paso Robles

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In addition to Tablas Creek Vineyard, there are well over 200 other wineries in the Paso Robles AVA (American Viticultural Area) as well as hundreds of independent vineyards.

These vineyard and wineries include specialists in Zinfandel, Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet and Merlot, and (of course) Rhône varietals like us.

Where is Paso Robles?

Map of Paso RoblesPaso Robles is located in Calfornia's Central Coast, midway between Santa Barbara and Monterey, about 4 hours south of San Francisco. It is bisected by highway US-101 and the Salinas River, and has excellent (and quite different) growing regions on both east and west sides of town.

Why Paso Robles?

Paso Robles has a unique combination of attributes that make it ideal for growing grapes. These include:

  • The highest diurnal (day/night) temperature variance of any viticultural area in the United States: In the summer months, it is routinely in the mid 90s to low 100s during the day. However, our dry climate and our proximity to the ocean give us exceptionally cool nights, often down in the low 50s.
  • Incredibly diverse microclimates: Paso Robles has wide differences in elevation and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, which gives enormous climatic diversity. Its cooler areas (principally the Templeton Gap area) specialize in Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel. Its higher-elevation, mid-climate areas (principally the Adelaida Hills area in the north-west quadrant of town) is producing award winning Rhone Varietals, while its warmest areas (east and north of town) specialize in Bordeaux varietals. No other American AVA has as much diversity.
  • A reliable climate: Paso Robles is far enough south that it rarely rains before November, allowing growers and winemakers the opportunity for long hangtime and optimally ripened grapes. At the same time, the hot days are balanced by the cool nights, leading to harvests in late September, October and often November.
  • Tremendous soils: Paso Robles has wonderfully diverse soils, including the largest exposed limestone clay layer in California. Limestone is common in many of the great wine regions in Europe, including Burgundy, Alsace, the Loire, Chablis, and the southern Rhone, but rare in California. It is not found in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, the Central Valley, eastern Santa Barbara County, or Southern California. It is, in fact, only found in a narrow irregular band stretching through the Central Coast.

What happens in Paso Robles?

Paso Robles has three large festivals each year, the Zinfandel Festival in March, the Wine Festival in May, and the Harvest Festival in October. These are organized and publicized by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (PRWCA).

There is also a wonderful festival dedicated to Rhone Varietals that draws producers from around the country and around the world to Paso Robles every April or May. The Hospice du Rhône is held at the Mid-State Fairgrounds in Paso Robles each year.

Where can I learn more about Paso Robles?

We'd love to tell you more. You are encouraged to contact us, or learn more about visiting Tablas Creek. Our tasting room is open daily from 10:00AM to 5:00PM, and we hold special events every month. You can also read posts about Paso Robles on the Tablas Creek Blog.

Organizations to help plan your visit:

Groups offering wine tours of Paso Robles (both guided and self-guided):

Upcoming Events

Celebrate Paso Robles Wine Festival with Tablas Creek

Join us for the Paso Robles Wine Community's biggest celebration! We'll pour Esprit de Beaucastel at Friday's Reserve Event and a range of new releases at Saturday's Grand Tasting. And all weekend we'll have special wines open at the winery and will be taking tours to visit our herd of sheep, alpacas and donkeys. Sunday 11am to 1:30pm enjoy Chef Jacob Lovejoy's small plates, free with a tasting. Details & more events »

Tablas Creek News

Featured Wine for May: 2011 Cotes de Tablas Blanc

In May, we're featuring our 2011 Cotes de Tablas Blanc at a 10% discount. In 2011, our Viognier crop was cut by 80% due to spring frost, leaving a tiny, intense yield of less than one-half a ton per acre. The resulting wine is rich and tropical, with stone fruits and honey, but at the same time firmly dry, with a very long, saline & mineral finish. Details »

On the Blog: When Terroir Was a Dirty Word

May 15, 2013

Take a look at the seven-line entry of Frank Schoonmaker, America’s foremost wine expert and author in 1964, about terroir. His association, rather than the "somewhereness" the wine exhibits, is more of a taste of dirt, neither elegant nor elevated: "somewhat unpleasant, common, persistent”. My, how things have changed. More »