Central Coast

Central Coast

Stephen's Cellar & Vineyard

After more than thirty-five years of growing grapes and making wine, Steve Goldman took on a new venture. In August of 2002 Steve married Lori Stone and later that year they started construction on Stephen’s Cellar. On May 3, 2003 Steve and Lori celebrated the birth of their son Max Richard Goldman. Lori resigned from her seven-year position as Grower Programs Manager with the Paso Robles Vintners and Growers Association to be a full time mom to Max as well as an integral part of all wine and vineyard operations at Stephen’s Cellar. A new estate vineyard was planted spring 2001, devoted entirely to Pinot Noir.

Benom Wines

Painting by Agata Zaborowski

Arnaud and Guillaume Fabre moved to California for love. For Guillaume, it was his passion for winemaking and farming without limits that brought him to Paso Robles. This love led him to one of the most prestigious wineries in Paso Robles, L’Aventure, and eventually to start his winery, Clos Solène. Arnaud’s story is much more like that of a movie scene. His move to California was to follow the love of his life, Chloe. This is how the two brothers -Les Deux Frères Fabre- ended up in Paso Robles.

The story gets far more interesting, but you will have to come find out for yourself!

As a tribute to the six-generation family legacy in the Languedoc-Roussillon and Bordeaux regions, BENOM harmoniously combines the freedom of winemaking in Paso Robles with the innate talent of the Fabre bloodline.

Brander Vineyard

The winery building referred by the staff as "The Barn" was the original structure at Bander. At "The Barn" Fred Bander personally hosted wine tastings inside on a rustic picnic table. This winery today is located on the estate just yards from the nearest vines. This means grapes can almost be immediately processed ater they are harvest, which has a tremendously beneficial impact on the wines produced. Frederic "Fred" Brander, owner and winemaker, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He moved with his family and settled in Santa Barbara, California. Fred started his career in the wine business by working for a local wine merchant, and later went to work in the wholesale business. While attending college, he started his own wine import company, focusing on wines from France and Argentina. Wishing to make his own wines, and with a fondness for Santa Barbara, Fred and his family established The Brander Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1975. The initial planting was mainly Bordeaux grape varietals and in 1977, the first Sauvignon Blanc grapes were taken to a neighboring winery where Fred Brander produced a wine so distinctive it captured Santa Barbara County's first gold medal for a wine at a major wine competition (1978 Los Angeles County Fair).

Black Hand Cellars

We have enjoyed visiting Black Hand Cellars tasting room on several occasions and while communicating with Tom Banish the owner and winemaker we have yet to actual talk face to face.  The name Black Hand Cellars, evolved through many stories of the owners great Grandmother on the banished-side of the family would tell about the great wines her husband would make and how the Black Hand Mafia found a liking to his wine and would seek him out for it. With such an intriguing history the name for the winery was chosen and the roaring 20's theme set in motion along with hands stained from the harvest of their rich red wine varietals. Tom and his wife have done a great job with their wines and make it a fun experience all at the same time. Tom and his wife are very much into the entire experience and they have been known to stay a little longer even while closing to share the fruits of their labor and the Black Hand Cellar experience.~

Hours:

Mon-Sun - 12:00pm to 5:00pm

Kinton Wines

Like most of today's top winemakers, Peter focuses much of his attention on the vineyards. For winemaking philosophy, Peter believes it is less about technique and more about preserving the essential taste of the vineyard. He knows that intelligent viticulture is the key to creating great wines. When it comes to harvest, Peter likes to do things the old-fashioned way: he picks by flavor, not numbers.

Cinquain Cellars

Painting by Agata Zaborowski

Planted, 
pruned, picked, and pressed, 
all by hand, on our land, 
we share our art form and passion, 
with you.


This simple 5-line poem called a Cinquain (pronounced seen-cane), embodies the spirit of Cinquain Cellars, from nurturing 10,000 vines on our estate vineyard to crafting small lots of artisan wines for your pleasure. Owner and winemaker, David Nagengast likes to think of Cinquain wine as bottled poetry and hopes you will agree.
 

Hahn Estates

Grown on over 1000 acres in Monterey County, the diverse vineyards of Hahn Estate make up some of the best Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah plantings in the region. The unique qualities of the vineyards coupled with the sunny days and foggy nights helps to create wines of depth and complexity.

Armonie Cellars

Harmony is a must stop every time I pass through Cambria and San Simeon! If you are hitting the Paso Robles wine country area and are up for a pretty drive, definitely include them! They have a beautiful location, visible as you drive under their ornate iron sign and up the hill - it's like you're invited to the party at the mansion on the hill! It's also a privilege to visit a town like Harmony - I believe on my last visit the population was listed as 17. It is an artisan town, the people who live here are all creators. And their homes aren't visible from the road at all - they are all in on some exotic secret. It's pretty amazing.

Pages

Subscribe to Central Coast