A Taste of Central California Wine Country

When ordering a bottle of California wine, what do you look for on the label? California cabernet drinkers may search for Napa Valley, but that’s not the only place making top-notch wines in that state.

If you head south to about the halfway mark between San Francisco and Los Angeles, you’ll land in Paso Robles, a friendly wine-producing region nestled in the rolling hills of the central California coast.

Paso is the third-largest wine-producing region in California, but we don’t always see bottles from this area on store shelves or menus here at home. Known for robust reds and a specialization in Rhône Valley varieties, Paso is also a region making premium wines at a more affordable price point than its northern neighbors.

This part of California has a long history in agriculture, and that remains at the heart of the industry here. When visiting, you’ll find that this is a welcoming and approachable wine region with a community that is excited to showcase the wonderful wines being made here.

With around 250 wineries located in Paso Robles, there is surely a wine for every taste. Though we won’t see them all here in South Florida, these are three Paso wineries that are easiest to find when shopping and dining in Miami.

Tablas Creek Vineyard

Tablas Creek is a leader in cultivating Rhône varieties in the Paso Robles region. The winery was founded in 1989 by two of the top winemaking families in the world: the Perrin family of famed Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the Haas family of Vineyard Brands, a wine importer based in the United States.

Paso Robles was chosen as the spot for its winery due to the Mediterranean climate and similarities to the southern Rhône Valley. Tablas Creek can be found in what is now the Adelaida District in Paso, around 1,500 feet above sea level.

This is truly a unique place, as vines and various rootstocks were originally imported from the Perrin estate in France, ensuring that the wines of Tablas Creek would resemble their French counterparts. Grapes such as mourvèdre, grenache noir, syrah and counoise for reds – and roussanne, viognier, marsanne and grenache blanc for whites -dominate most of the blends.

The Espirit de Tablas is the flagship blend using the top 15%-20% of fruit from estate vineyards each year. The Espirit de Tablas red is based on mourvèdre; the blanc on roussanne.

Cotes de Tablas – produced with 100% estate-grown fruit – is an approachable wine based on grenache for the Cotes de Tablas red and viognier for the blanc.

The Patelin de Tablas is the “neighborhood” blend incorporating grapes from other vineyards in Paso; it’s based on syrah for red and grenache blanc for white. The Patelin line also includes a rosé, with a foundation of direct-pressed grenache.

SAVE: Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rouge 2017, $25.99 at 305Wines.com

SPLURGE: Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas Blanc 2018, $34.99 at 305Wines.com

Daou Vineyards

Daou Vineyards was founded in 2007 by brothers Georges and Daniel Daou, who are originally from Lebanon. The duo developed a passion for wine when the family relocated to France, but it was not until they moved to California to attend college and start a technology business that they were able to eventually turn that passion into a winery in Paso Robles.

Daniel Daou is the winemaker for the brand, and an ambassador of Bordeaux varieties in California’s central coast. He set out to create a top California cabernet and has succeeded with the winery’s flagship wine, Soul of a Lion.

Soul of a Lion is a tribute to the Daou brothers’ father and is arguably one of the leading wines of the Paso region. Each bottle is a work of years of winemaking and maturation. In celebration of the new vintage release each year, the winery hosts a Family Estate Soirée on top of Daou Mountain. The 2023 Soirée marks the 10th annual family celebration of this iconic wine.

SAVE: Daou Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, $22.99 at Total Wine North Miami

SPLURGE: Daou Soul of a Lion 2018, $179.97 at Total Wine North Miami

Justin Vineyards & Winery

Justin Vineyards & Winery, founded in 1981 by Justin Baldwin, is another winery in Paso that focuses on Bordeaux grapes. The beautiful property off Chimney Rock Road is home to a modern estate where tastings are held, as well as a Michelin-starred restaurant where guests can enjoy a meal overlooking the vines. Additionally, wine enthusiasts can choose to taste older vintages in the winery’s private hidden cellar. A special treat!

Justin’s top wine is Isosceles, a blend modeled after the First Growth producers of Bordeaux. The base grape is cabernet sauvignon, with support from cabernet franc and merlot. This wine represents Paso’s premier winemaking in a bottle and is perfect with a juicy steak dinner. Here in South Florida, you can enjoy a bottle of Isosceles at the Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne or Juvia on Lincoln Road.

SAVE: Justin Vineyards & Winery Rosé 2021, $24.38 at Mr. D Wine Merchant in Miami

SPLURGE: Justin Vineyards & Winery Isosceles 2017, $95.99 at 305Wines.com