On a recent visit to Paso Robles, I went underground….or shall I say, to the Paso Underground.

Enter through an unassuming door on Pine St. across from the Paso Robles Downtown Park and the visitor is taken into what used to be a garage space, now the very cool tasting room location for four of Paso’s rising star boutique wineries – Edmond August, Turtle Rock Vineyards, Aaron Wines and Clos Solene. Enter through the back off of Railroad St via a nice patio space where gnarly, twisted grape vine samples hang on the walls and, along one fence,  planted vines represent the varietals Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Grenache, Mourvedre and Roussanne. This will undoubtedly be the site for many a musical evening under the stars this coming summer.

Edmond August owner, Ed Sauret, and winemaker, Jacob Toft, share the view that Paso Robles’ climate and soils are perfectly suited for growing the Rhone varietals, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Viognier and Marsanne. Their first “full” vintage was 2009, and their wines are blends of Rhone varietals, all named with literary terms beginning with”I”, a nod to the many educators in the Sauret family. (Ed, himself, was a High School English teacher at PRHS)

I tasted through the entire line-up and quite enjoyed them all. I especially liked the white blends, “Interuption” and “Inference” and the barely pink rosé, “Inquiry”, made from Grenache and Mourvedre. Of the red blends, I particularly liked the 2009 “Implication”, a blend of 71% Syrah, and 29 % Grenache from the esteemed Torrin Vineyard.

Central Coast native, Aaron Jackson, knew at the young age of 15 that he wanted to make wine and planted his first vines. Now at just 29 years old he is making wonderful wine under two labels and clearly with his own distinct style. In 2002 he started with his Aaron label focusing on making superior Petite Sirah from Paso Robles vineyards. His “Life Should be Outrageous – Go Big or Go Home” attitude created success in that arena and propelled him into his second venture under the label “Æquorea”,  “of the sea”. From the coastal vineyard, Spanish Springs near Pismo Beach, Aaron gets his Viognier and Pinot Gris and his 2012 vintage is fantastic! The viognier is lighter and crisper than most  with a tiny bit of orange on the palette. His Pinot Gris, is crisp with a full mouthfeel and long finish accentuated with baking spice. A rich, nuttiness along with hints of honey and pear and good acidity are a result of a twice weekly stirring of the lees. These are wonderful wines to enjoy anytime of year, but with summer just days away you’ll want to try these two lovelies soon.

Don Burns tasted us through his line-up of Westberg Cellars/Turtle Rock wines made at the family owned winery in the Templeton Gap. My favorite from this tasting line-up was the 2009 Turtle Rock Willows Cuvee (48% Tempranillo, 29% Syrah, 23% Zinfandel). This is a big wine full of black fruits both on the nose and the palette along with notes of coffee and cherry-vanilla in it’s long finish. I’m thinking lamb…..

While Guillaume Fabre was not available on this day, I had had the pleasure of tasting his Clos Solene wines the previous week at a private event in the San Fernando Valley area at Liquid Assets Cellars. Guillaume ventured to Paso Robles from his family vineyard in the south of France to assist Stephan Asseo with the winemaking at L’Aventure before taking on his own label named after his wife, Solene. His extensive list of 2013 Spring releases include wines primarily made from Rhone varietals sourced from such esteemed vineyards as Russell Family, Saxum, Booker and James Berry. I would describe his wines as elegant, powerful, complex, intriguing, bright and delicious!  Standouts for me were the 2011 Essence de Roussane (100 cases made), 2011 Harmonie (41% Grenache, 37% Syrah, 22% Mourvedre – 100 cases), the 2011 L’Insolent (45% Syrah, 36% Petit Verdot, 19% Cabernet Franc – 50 cases), and the 2010 Hommage a nos Pair, an incredible blend of 95% Syrah, 3% Grenache and 2% Mourvedre.

The Paso Underground is a “not to be missed” wine tasting experience during a visit to Paso Robles wine country. Plan ahead as their hours of operation are limited, but they do take appointments. This is one “underground” you’ll want to tell everyone about!

Located in Downtown Paso Robles, next door to Villa Creek Restaurant – Entrance on Railroad St. just off the Park

Address: 1140 Pine St.   Paso Robles, CA  93446

805/2370799

e-mail: info@pasounderground.com

Hours: Fri-Sat 1:00PM-7:00PM
Sun 1:00PM-5:00PM
& by appointment.