10 Great Paso Robles Wineries, just don’t try them all it in one day

Paso Robles top 10 wineries
This is my top 10 Paso Robles Wineries. I tried way too many wineries to remember, but these are my favorite wineries that you should consider on your next trip. I recently spent a week in Paso Robles to discover my Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries. I have been a longtime fan of Paso Robles Wines. I have been known to select wines from the menu purely based on the fact that it came from Paso Robles.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Tom and Daniele at Justin
Check out Tom’s Foodie Blog Best Restaurants in Paso Robles list
Based on my full week of over indulging on Paso Robles wines, I learned a lot about their wine growing region, microclimates and most importantly which wineries are the best. This post provides my Top 10 List of Wineries I tried and a couple runner ups that you should consider on your next trip. You may want to read my Understanding Paso Robles AVA and Microclimates before you begin.
Top West Side Wineries
Peachy Canyon
Peachy Canyon sources grapes from over twenty local growers in the Paso Robles AVA and 100 acres of their own vineyards. I loved this winery tasting room and really enjoyed their wines, so much so that I joined their wine club. Peachy Canyon does best with their Zinfandels, although they did well with their Cabs and Merlots.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Peachy Canyon
Justin
Justin is located on at the rolling foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains. The days are hot and the evenings are cool and the soil is limestone, making this winery perfect for Bordeaux style reds. This is one of my favorite Wineries in Paso Robles. Justin has turned into a cult winery in the past five years and there is good reason for it. Their wines are perhaps some of the best in Paso Robles.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Justin
Halter Ranch
Located just south of Justin, Halter has very similar limestone soil and climate. Halter Ranch uses 100% estate grown grapes which are sustainably farmed. Halter produces Bordeaux and Rhone style wines. The 2009 Ancestor and the 2012 Synthesis are amazing. While you are at Halter Ranch, look at the old farmhouse, does it look familiar? It is the house featured on the movie Arachnophobia. I first learned about Halter Ranch when I attended a Winemakers Dinner at the Winery Restaurant in Orange County. I met Winemaker Kevin Saas who taught us all about their winemaking process. Halter Ranch is still my favorite winery in Paso Robles.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Halter Ranch
Summerwood
This was one of the more relaxing properties we visited. You pull up to the estate and you feel like you are visiting someone’s really nice house, which overlooks the vineyards. The winery produces Bordeaux and Rhone blends. I recommend you try the 2010 Diosa, which is a Rhone style blend with lots of complexity.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Summerwood
Sextant
Sextant has some really amazing Zinfandels and Petite Syrah. I had previously tried their wine at the California Wine Festival and fell in love with them. Sextant is located along highway 46, on the west side. The tasting room is perhaps the prettiest of all Paso Robles. The tasting rooms flashy production value matches the quality of wine. I recommend the 2011 Night Watch and the 2012 Chardonnay.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Sextant
Other West Side Wineries I Recommend
- Opolo
- Tablas Creek
Top East Side Wineries
Bella Luna
Bella Luna is located smack dab in the middle of the Templeton Gap, riding the line between East and West Paso Robles. Bella Luna focuses on small lot Italian varietals. This tasting room is low key and welcoming. As you pull up, you will be greeted by their dog Captain, who will steal your food if you leave your door open (true story).
I really enjoyed these wines and they were a welcome break from the Bordeaux style blends I had been tasting all day. Bella Luna was recommended by one of my friends who said that these wines are amazing and do not leave without trying the Fighter Pilot Red. If you meet Sherman in the tasting room, tell him Tom sent you…not that that will account for much. 😉

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Bella Luna
Eberle
Eberle Winery was a fun stop and they had great wines. You will be greated by two poodles when you enter the property and then a large brass pig that is famous in Florence Italy. Wine tastings are complimentary at Eberle and you will love them. The staff is very friendly and then even offer a winery and wine cave tour every 30 minutes. Be sure to hang out on the deck, as it features a sweeping view of their vineyard. Keep in mind that you can pre-order a picnic lunch at Eberle, just be sure to call it in ahead of time. Eat your picnic lunch on the deck. I really like the 2010 Cotes Du Robles and the Full Boar Red.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Eberle Winery
Tobin James
Tobin James should either be your first or last winery. Perhaps you should limit your winery stops the day you visit Tobin James as well. This winery has good wines and they pour extremely generously. The Tobin Hames tasting room feels like a cowboy saloon. The attitude is all rock and roll cowboy, even the crowd is a little spunky. This is probably the party place, although their wines are all business. I recommend the 2011 Black Magic Syrah and the 2010 James Gang Reserve Zinfandel.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Tobin James
Le Vigne
Le Vigne is a must stop location near the end of the day, as it is a perfect spot to get a light lunch or snack with your wine pairing. The key amenity of this winery is that they have a full cheese shop in the winery, complete with a very trained cheese monger who knows her stuff. I highly recommend you order the cheese plate to compliment your wine tasting. The Cheese Monger and the Wine Maker teamed up to create a very delicious pairing experience. If you are really hungry, order yourself a paninni. I bought way too much cheese before we left.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries La Vigne
Villa San Julliete
Villa San Julliette is my favorite winery in the warmer Estrella area. The property sits atop of a wide rolling hill, so you get great views from their mansion of a facility. Villa San Julliete is as close as you will get to a celebrity winery. It is owned by reality TV producers Nigel and Ken, who are known for “So you think you can dance?” and “American Idol.”
The property is glitzy and opulent as you would expect. Their wines match the luxuriousness of their property. The estate has a beautiful patio fashioned like a Tuscan villa, with views of the vineyards. Villa San Julliete also serve food, so it is a great spot to take a break with one of their Pizzas and a glass of Zin. They also have really amazing sliders made from local grass fed beef. I recommend the 2011 Zinfandel, it is fruity, smooth and lush.

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries Villa San JulIette
Other places I recommend on the East Side
- Graveyard
- Lohr
- Biachi

Top 10 Paso Robles Wineries – Tom with Captain the dog from Bella Luna. This guy stole my granola from the van.
Use my Interactive Paso Robles Top 10 Wineries on Google Maps
The map provides my top 10 Paso Robles Wineries, plus a few extras.

Top 10 Paso Robles winery google map
No way I could do more than two in one day!
While you are at it, you may want to give Tablas Creek wines a try. Some of the best wine I ever had.
I’m partial to Napa wineries, but great information here!
I am with you on this post! These were definitely 10 of the top wineries. Paso Robles was such a fun place to visit with so many fabulous wineries:)
Wow! Nice tour. I would love to visit a couple
There are over 250 wineries in the Paso Robles region. To have been fair to all other 240 wineries you didn’t mention, it would have been nice to highlight; why you chose your top-10, what specific criteria you used, what other wineries you did visit and what you didn’t like about them. Reviews & judgements without a solid foundation would only appear as advertisement…
No Daou??? It’s The best Cab in PR! Also Adeleida’s superb and nearly cult.Viognier.
My next trip SaucyTango, great picks.
Thanks for the love Johnny. Although I can appreciate your cork dork devotion and extollation to strict metrics and rating standards, this is not a Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast. This is a food/wine blog. I would love to hear about your personal 10 ten list as well, always looking for a better wine.
These are all the fast food super market wines. Never got to the true estate wineries, making real wines. Maybe you don’t know the difference.
Hi Joe Bella,
Thanks for visiting this page and reading my Top 10 Paso Robles wine article. I appreciate your devotion to esosteric wines and small producers. Can you tell me your favorite “Non-Supermarket Wines?” I am open to ideas for my next trip. Perhaps we will bump into each other in Paso sometimes, I am sure you will introduce me to small batch wineries and hard to pronounces cheeses.
Cheers Cork Dork
Tom
niner, Hugs, and L’Aventure.
Some of my favorite wineries are Nine, Hugs and L’Aventure.
I like L’Aventure and Nine, but yet to try Hugs. Added to my bucket list.
I agree with your love of Paso Robles wine. We’ve been long time fans.
just a little typo I noticed “Eberle” you spelled Erbele
The Paso Wine region is one of my favorites
Thank you so much for catching that typo. I looked around and I obviously made the same mistake in the entire article. Thanks for catching it. All fixed now 
the correct spelling is Eberle winery
Thanks for that catch!
Via Vega is our favorite.
We have been visiting Paso Robles wine country at least twice a year for the past six years and have been to 60-70 different wineries. Overall we have been pleasantly surprised on how good the wine is in this region and it would be pretty hard to pick a top ten list with so many great wines. We have also traveled to Napa and have had great wines but what we like more about Paso Robles is the rolling hills, the scenery, and the service is so much better. In Napa we found that our servers did not spend much time explaining the wines, it is very commercial, and we just didn’t have that welcoming feeling in our visits there. In Paso Robles we find that the servers go out of there way to explain their wines and do what ever they can to accomadate all of their visitors. Also, the wine is just as great as some of the Napa wines. I don’t think we can come up with a top ten list from Paso Robles but here are a few of our favorites: Whalebone, Pear Valley, Le Vigne, Le Cuvier, Clautiere, Ecluse, Bella Luna, Adelaida, Turley, and Jack Creek. There really are so many good wines that it is hard not to choose more.
Hey Greg!
This are really great tips and winery recommendations. I hope to try some of these during my next trip. I really appreciate your insights into Paso!!!!
Tom, thanks for the suggestions, we added some to our itinerary.
Paso is currently our favorite region.
We just got back from Paso trip number 3. We went the week before harvest fest to avoid the rush and attend club release.
From your list we hit Justin (bought 2), Lohr (bought 1) Villa San Julliete (bought 2 plus a case), Opolo (bought 4) Eberle (again) & Bella Luna (fighter pilot very good, bought 1).
We’ve been to Tobin & Peachy Canyon but did not make it this trip.
We went to Daou for the second time, but they are a little snooty and very proud of their wines.
We like more of the laid back wineries
Other wineries to add to your next trip:
McPrice Myers (west)
Wild Coyote (west)
Re:Find for vodka/gin made from grapes (west)
Still Waters (east)
We were club members of one and joined the other 3 this trip. Seriously thinking about joining Opolo.
Thanks again, enjoyed the blog post.
Hi Duane,
Thanks for checking in after your trip, I really appreciate letting me know about your stops!
Thanks for these recommendations, I will add them to my bucket list. I have not heard about them yet.
Tom
Hi Tom,
I just found myself reading some great posts on your blog!
Anyway, I wanted to invite you to visit Pelletiere Estate Vineyard and Winery next time you find yourself in Paso Robles. The winery is located on the westside in the Willow Creek district, we are by definition a boutique winery specializing in Italian style wines. Currently all estate and producing Montepulciano, Lagrein, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Syrah and Viognier! Their are lots of GREAT wineries producing wonderful wines in Paso but if your looking for something a little different, this is the place!
Hi Morgan,
Thank you for the reading my post and leaving a comment. I will be visiting Paso ago in 2016 and will stop by to try your Italian style wines. Looking forward to meeting you.
Hi Morgan, I will stop by next time I am in town to pick up my wine club shipments. Sorry I missed your comment until now! Thanks for reading my posts, I write for folks like you.
Tom,
you have to try Epoch and Booker. Surprised others have not mentioned them already. Amazing Rhone blends and Syrahs.
THanks for the ideas Devan, Adding to my bucket list
These are mostly the paid for exposure wineries, sans sextant. Go to sextant, not the rest!!! .So many other great choices in Paso, find those hidden gem making great wine, not the the richie rich boys chasing the big $ .
More Mourvedre please!!!!
Matt, what are your top picks. I’m always open minded for suggestions.
Here are a few more wineries that haven’t been mentioned. Barr and Peachy Canyon, both of which are on Union Rd. I love, love love Paso and its people. I have gone to at least 3/4 of its wineries. Already been 5 times this year. Barr is a small boutique winery that has the best Malbec of any winery I’ve been to and their Petit Verdot is also very good. All the wines are great at both wineries. Just a suggestion for all Paso lovers.
Tom,
In light of Justin’s recent raping of the land on part of their property, would they still make your list? For your readers who are unaware, Justin just denuded acres and acres of land, removing hundreds of mature oak trees in the process. They apparently do not care at all for the environment or their neighbors.
I’d urge your readers to avoid Justin, boycott Fiji Water, and go drink some good wine at Epoch, Nicora, Herman Story, Denner, Paix Sur Terre, Desparada, Jack Creek Cellars, Alta Colina, Law Estates….
I have to agree that Justin sucks! The deal with the Oaks is unforgivable! I’m glad may left for Halter Ranch sometime ago. There are so many great wines in PR! Heading there on Monday. This trip will include Daou, Sextant, Adeleidas, Jack Cerrk! I can only hit so many! I also love Grey Wolf especially Preditor when available !
Agreed-Avoid Justin and all Wonderful Corporation businesses. For wine tasting, the remainder are very good. For pure quality, Turley needs to be on the list. I also love, love, love McPrice Meyers and Cypher.
I agree, after justin killed all the Oaks they are slated to be removed from the list. I still like their wine, even if they have a corporate aroma. I agree Turley makes some really wonderful wines
I agree, stay posted for an updated list. Justin’s behavior has been noted and will ensure the word gets out.Thanks for the recommendations.
DAOU for 360 degree view and quality refs.
CINQUAIN ( by appt or event weekends) great tiny boutique winery with 60% off to WC members
ALEXSANDER a boutique winery featuring three reds and an amazing experience sitting in his private dining room while he explains his FABULOUS wine paired with small delicious bites. Wine club members only but mention my name Tricia Young
LE CUVIER recently moved to a glorious hilltop location with marvelous views. His wines are purely organic with no yeast added. A very unique experience.