We recently found ourselves out in the boondocks of Paso Robles wine country at a very unique spot called Starr Ranch. This is the home of both Starr Ranch and Crooked Road wines, made by the superb duo, Judy Starr and Ryan Ralston. Now, what makes this operation unique is that the ranch was started as a source for grapes, farming their vineyards fruit to other labels; the fruit was so good that they wanted to make their own wines to showcase what their vineyards were capable of doing in the bottle. Crooked Road was the first label, called that to reflect both the actual road that leads out to the property (yes, it’s crooked and beautiful) as well as a metaphor for the paths we all take in life.
The Starr Ranch label developed as an effort to get the vineyard name on the bottles! So, Judy does a lot out in the vineyard, while Ryan does a lot of the winemaking…but they both work together to get a great product into the bottle and out to the wine drinkers that appreciate handcrafted, approachable, and reasonably priced wines.
One of the very interesting things about this place is how there’s a personalized approach to both the winemaking and the wine pouring; the tasting room is literally the barrel room, the winemaking facility, and the home of several of those involved with the production. Starr Ranch is 300 acres, and happens to also have over 350 fruit trees! Ryan uses the apples and pears to make cider, as well as for making sure everybody around gets their recommended allocation of the fruit group every day.
Hey, what about the wines, you say? Yeah, good stuff! We tasted a great Rhone white blend, a creamy, rich Chardonnay, some incredible red blends, a kick-ass Grenache, and others…each unique and tasty in their own right.
Check out our chat with Ryan, a really cool dude to hang out and sip wine with…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RoOWOVOipI[/youtube]
And don’t miss this bonus footage of Ryan showing Hoot how he makes pear cider from the estate fruit…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ibt35riMB8[/youtube]
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I had the unique pleasure of barrel tasting with Ryan last winter….Loved everything we tasted! Now I see
the need to get back to try the cider! 😀
That’s awesome, Mo! Yeah, great stuff over there…and loved all the fruit trees and whatnot! What a cool property…definitely worth going back to try the ciders!
Awesome video Matt and Annie, I bet you had fun Matt helping and learning how to make pear cider…yummmie! Another winery to add to my bucket list as it keeps growing and growing. Cheers!
Hey Bev! Yes…that bucket list must be very long by now! You’re gonna have to move up here for a few months to get everything covered! Cheers to you!!!
Thank you. Somehow we have missed this one. Adelaide is always nice drive. Gonna check it out and maybe take the grandkids for the cider.
Hi Paso Winers! Yes, this is definitely a great stop! Take a picnic and stay a while…you won’t be sorry!
Spent a great unplanned afternoon with Ryan and friends tasting out of the barrel. What a Great Person and Wine to Match. Do not pass this Winery up!!!
Hey Roger! Thanks for the comment…and yes, great spot, awesome wines, and Ryan was super fun! Definitely worth a stop!!! Cheers!