6 Wineries to Visit in 2015

Producing some of the best wines in the country, these six California wineries are worth the trip and taste.
BY TOURING & TASTING

Le Vigne Winery

What to Buy:
'11 Cabernet Sauvignon - $35
'11 Nikiara - $39
'13 Barrel Select Chardonnay - $23

Tasting Room Hours: Open Sun–Thu 11–5; Fri–Sat 11–6

Le Vigne Winery was founded with a passion for terroir, exceptional wines, and spectacular food. This passion is evident more than ever since the winery unveiled its stunning new tasting room, exciting culinary offerings, and a series of compelling new releases. The 100-acre vineyard estate property was one of the region’s first: planted by the Filippini family in 1981. Through the years, the land’s diverse terroir has yielded exceptional quality grapes. Spurred by its passion for terroir, wine, and food, Le Vigne offers a different creative, fun, and interactive event each month.
www.levignewinery.com

Castoro Cellars

What to Buy:
'12 Chardonnay Reserve Whale Rock - $22
'12 Tango - $22
'11 Cabernet Reserve Whale Rock - $30
'12 Pinot Noir Whale Rock - $30
'12 Zinfusion - $24

Tasting Room Hours: Open Daily 10–5:30

As owners of Castoro Cellars, one of the oldest wineries in the Paso Robles region, the husband and wife team of Niels and Bimmer Udsen couldn’t be more excited about the direction their winery is headed more than 30 years later. They began making wine in the early 1980s, and over the course of the next 10 years, bought equipment and opened a tasting room. The past 30-plus years have seen Castoro grow from producing a few barrels of wine in a rented corner of someone else’s winery to developing a custom-crush operation and a 60,000-case winery. Today, the winery is 100 percernt estate grown and the name Castoro Cellars is now associated with a long list of premium wines, with a special focus on Paso Robles Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.
www.castorocellars.com

Klinker Brick Winery

What to Buy:
'12 Farrah Syrah - $20
'12 Old Vine Zinfandel - $19
'12 Old Ghost Old Vine Zinfandel - $37

Tasting Room Hours: Open Thu-Mon 11-5

Fifth generation grape growers Steve and Lori Felten are often asked why they gave their winery the unusual name of Klinker Brick. Klinker bricks (named for the unusual sound they make when banged together) grace many of Lodi’s historical buildings. These highly regarded bricks were chosen by 1920s craftsmen architects for their distinctive qualities including unique shapes and dark, rich color. They are denser and heavier in weight than regular bricks. A rich, deep color, enormous density, and other unique characteristics also help describe the winery’s exceptional lineup of red wines like the Old Vine Zinfandel and Farrah Syrah.
www.klinkerbrick.com

Sextant Wines

What to Buy:
'11 Wheelhouse Zinfandel - $21
'10 Passage GSM - $45
'10 Night Watch Proprietary Red - $50

Tasting Room Hours: Open Daily 10-5

As Wine Enthusiast crowns Paso Robles 2014 Wine Region of the Year, Sextant Wines can be found at the helm. When Craig and Nancy Stoller founded Sextant Wines nearly 10 years ago, they decided that a Sextant—an old-world instrument using the sun, stars, and horizon to navigate across open water—aptly described Craig’s philosophy on growing and making wine. As a third-generation grapevine grower, the farming side of the business was nothing new to Craig. He and Nancy started their own vineyard in 2003, planting clones from several certified French, Portuguese, and Spanish winegrape selections, as well as rootstock from UC-Davis. Today, they produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from their cool climate vineyards, but their specialties are distinct Zinfandels, GSMs, and a Bordeaux blend.
www.sextantwines.com

Eberle Winery

What to Buy:
'10 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - $34
'11 Syrah, Steinbeck Vineyard - $24
'12 Estate Chardonnay - $20

Tasting Room Hours: Open Daily 10–5

When Gary Eberle founded Eberle Winery 35 years ago with the premiere of his 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon, he introduced the world to more than a distinctive label; he introduced it to Paso Robles. Today, Eberle Winery has reached a case production of 30,000. The Eberle name, which means “wild boar” in German, has earned a reputation as one of the highest award-winning wineries in the United States. Eberle’s 17,000 square feet of underground caves provide a captivating environment for exclusive par ties. The intimate VIP Room inside the caves seats ten for private wine tours, lunch, dinner, or other events. A comfortable picnic deck overlooking the estate vineyard can also be reserved for weddings or groups of up to 100. As Gary, his wife Marcy, and their two standard poodles will attest, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate Paso Robles wine country at Eberle Winery.
www.eberlewinery.com

Mettler Family Vineyards

What to Buy:
'12 Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon - $24.99
'12 Old Vine Zinfandel - $19.99
'12 Lodi Aglianico - $40

Tasting Room Hours: Open Thu-Mon 11-5

Through eight generations in the grape growing industry, Mettler Family Vineyards has cultivated an unrivaled kinship with the earth. Beginning in Germany in the 1770s and continuing with their arrival in California’s Central Valley region of Lodi in the late 1800s, the Mettler family has a tradition of producing premium winegrapes, both for their own label, as well as for other winemakers and respected wines. As stewards of the soil, the Mettlers have chosen to run their farm as both sustainable and certified organic. The wines are made from selective blocks in the vineyards with a crop level controlled by minimal water use and hand thinning. The integrity with which the Mettler family approaches both farming and winemaking has not been lost on the industry critics. Consistently recognized through awards, their wines stand up in both domestic and international competitions. Tasting room guests are treated to exclusive, limited-production wines, including the first white wines produced under the Mettler label.
www.mettlerwine.com