There’s a new event in town and it doesn’t appear as though they’re messing around. The Paso Robles CAB Collective is a group focused on spreading the word on Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux style wines.
This group includes some smaller wineries that may not be as well known and it also includes some of Paso’s heavy hitters…and by heavy hitters I mean wineries that are either quite large in production or wineries that have large bank accounts behind them. When I mention names like Justin Winery (now owned by the Fiji Water people) or J. Lohr Winery (I believe they are at a million cases or darn close to it) you think of big, well established Paso Robles wineries. However, there are also many others like DAOU, Vina Robles, Chateau Margene, and Record Family Wines that you may be less familiar with. (To see the complete list of participants check this link)
My personal opinion is that the 16 to 20 wineries that poured at the event are a very good representation of what Paso Robles is all about. It was also fantastic to see someone like Gary Eberle there, who is commonly referred to as the Godfather of Paso Robles wine, standing next to someone that is newer to the scene like Daniel Daou of DAOU Vineyards. A great cross section of wine and people for sure.
The event was held at Windfall Farms which really seems to be the place to hold an event now. I first set foot on the property for the Paso Robles Garagiste Festival in 2011 (I believe that was the first year) and since that time more and more events are being held there. I can’t blame them, the facility is beautiful and quite unique…it is an equestrian facility after all.
We got to the event slightly early and they were running slightly late which was to our benefit because we got to watch more than half of the seminar that preceded the media tasting. The panel included six of the winemakers pouring at the event and was moderated by Steve Heimoff. I always get a kick out of listening to people that know what they’re talking about and are passionate about it…and each of these guys did just that.
The media tasting went really well. I enjoy being able to go to those simply because they are less crowded. We tasted many different wines as you’ll see in the slideshow below but the real stand out for me was the 1980 Eberle Cab Sauv that Gary himself was pouring. Annie and I are quite fortunate to know Gary and his wife Marcy, and it’s always fun to see Gary’s passion for this Paso Robles wine thing.
It was great seeing so many familiar faces and truthfully, all the wine we tasted was quite nice. Some more drinkable on their own and some requiring food, but all had a place. We also got to taste Record Family Wines, which we had not tasted before, they were pouring two Merlots and of course Annie and I liked the opposite ones the best. So it goes, eh?
All around I think the event organizers did a great job for a first year shindig. It was well laid out and I only see this group and this event getting bigger with more time under their belt. I also think it’s good that Paso has these different events highlighting the different wines in the area. We’ve had Rhone events, Pinot Noir events, and so on…now to add an event focused on Cab and Bordeaux styles is only fitting and honestly, about time (unless I am unaware of another event that does so).
Did you go to the event? If not, would you go after hearing more about it??
Have a great weekend folks!
Matt, I have a new friend who I help a bit so she gets me into press events, much better than the public events. While we may attend the Cabernet weekend again should they have it (we had a blast) we aren’t attending the Zin or Wine Fest anymore. We really enjoyed our last visit getting to speak to people not trying to be heard over knee deep people what we just finished so they knew what to pour next 🙂 We enjoy talking to staff and hearing their enthusiasm for their wine which is hard to do during a festival! Just wait til we move up there I am going tasting during the week never a weekend 🙂
Haha, I love it, Jo!! You’re right though. We won’t be doing Wine Fest this year although we will go downtown to watch the craziness. I love these smaller events that are more focused and I especially appreciate being able to do the media tastings…so awesome! Cheers Jo, and thank you!
Daniel and Linda deserve a big Atta Boy for making that event work. As a 1st time event put together in such a short time I was blown away. Congrats, and as a progressive midget once said “Onward and upward”.
I totally agree, I think the event was great considering how little time they had. It was great seeing you there, loved trying that 1980!! And I think I know that progressive midget you speak of. 🙂