Robert Hall (Paso Robles)

A large brick building, with a big blue fountain in the center, this winery isn't easily missed. What brought us here is the Orange Muscat which we have purchased several times at local shops, and really like.

We noticed they offered free bocce ball for visitors, and the tasting room is large and can easily fit 30 or more tasters. The setting is quite lovely.
The server didn't offer any information on the wines we were tasting, but the wine itself is excellent.
The reds were sophisticated and aged beautifully, and in our opinion, under-priced. The whites were also well done, and interesting.
The Viognier surprised us the most, and is known as a favorite with tasters at this winery. We brought home a bottle of the Viognier ($20), and a bottle of Orange Muscat ($15). We didn't learn much from our visit, but the staff were friendly and the wines were delicious.
They had many items for sale, but I didn't see any food available.

Vina Robles (Paso Robles)

We tried only white wines at the Vina Robles winery today. Our server, Donny, was great. He really knows his stuff and was incredibly friendly. The woman who greeted us at the door was also really nice. She made sure we had a spot at the wine tasting counter, and really made us feel welcome.

We only tried white wines, but they had great variety and were delicious. The Rose' was one of the best we've had. And the wine prices are very reasonable. We heard about Vina Robles from Wine Enthusiast, and had come here years ago for a wedding. Wine Enthusiast gave a high rating to their White 4, and we have to agree, it is excellent. For those who like Chardonay, I also reccommend trying that one as well.

The tasting is $7 per person, and is waived with purchase. We ended up bringing home a bottle of their Rose' ($13) and a bottle of White 4 ($16). If you join their wine club (free to join), the prices are even lower.
We also heard they are building a large music venue, so locals can look forward to a lot of fun events. If you plan on wine tasting on the 46, I recommend making a stop here.

Edward Sellers Vineyards (Paso Robles)

This weekend was a wine shipment "pick-up" day, so we decided to stop at a couple other wineries while we were out.

First Impressions:

They are located among some other wineries on highway 46 and were easy to find. The tasting room was big, and allows for a large number of people. There was only one other couple there, so we practically had the place to ourselves. The woman pouring was very nice, and gave a little bit of information about each wine as she poured. Overall, we really enjoyed their wine, and had an excellent experience.

These were the wines available for tasting:

2011 Le Passage
2011 Viognier
2011 Rose
2008 Mayhem (Red Blend)
2007 Cognito
2006 Vertigo
2009 Inception
2005 Cuvee des Cinq
2006 Syrah Selectionnee

Wines we tried:

2011 Le Passage ($35)
This was a delicious white wine. It had hints of citrus and minerals, and not very fruity.

2011 Viognier ($29)
I really enjoyed this wine. It was fruity and sweet, that reminded me of honeysuckle. An easy and refreshing wine.

2011 Rose ($18)
We are huge fans of these wines, so we just had to try it. One of the best local roses we have tried, and we purchased one to take home.

2008 Mayhem (Red Blend)   ($18.75)
This was a bold red wine, that would be good with a nice meal. Not one I would sip on it's own.

2007 Cognito  ($37)
I'm a sucker for wanting to try any 90 point or higher wine, and this one is a 90 (Robert Parker). It got a little lost, after trying the Mayhem blend, but I found it to be similar but less 'in your face'. I would pay extra and get the Syrah.

2006 Syrah Selectionnee  ($45)
It had a heftier price tag than I'm used to, but the wine did not let me down. A delicious syrah, classic.

Take Note:

Tasting is $10 per person, and waived with a purchase. You can choose any six wines to taste from their list.  They also allow two people to share one tasting. They have a wine club, that offers discounts. We ended up purchasing two bottles of the Rose, and one bottle of the Viognier.

Clesi (San Luis Obispo)

We recently attended the fifth annual Wine and Grill event in San Luis Obispo. It's a wonderful event with great music and wine tasting provided by local winery's, and it's all to benefit the Transitions-Mental Health Association. The event was held at the Clesi winery, so we decided to stop inside to do a tasting.

First Impressions:

The tasting room was popular that day. Despite the busyness, the staff were friendly and attentive to us. The tasting was held in the large barrel room, and it was fun to see where the magic happens. I'm not sure if tastings are typically held in the barrel room, or if that was done because of the event. The tasting counter was small and did not have any seating. It isn't a tasting room where you could sit with a glass of wine and chat, but purely for tasting. The winery is conveniently located on the historic Filipponi Ranch, which contributes to it's ranch feel, with golden hills and oak trees. The winery is just off the highway in San Luis Obispo, but there don't appear to be any other wineries near by.

These were the wines available for tasting:

2011 Malvasia Bianca - San Bernabe, Monterey
2009 Dolcetto - Juan Nevarex Vineyard, Paso Robles
2009 Cabernet Sauvignon - Paso Robles
2009 Sangiovese - Paso Robles
 2009 Barbera - Siletto Ranch, San Benito
 (I skipped the wines that were just for the special event, and the Wine Club only selections)

Wines we tried:

2011 Malvasia Bianca ($20) This was the wine Clesi entered into the tasting event, to be judged by the public. We ended up voting it as our favorite. It was a beautiful white, a bit dry, and very good. I don't normally like dry wine, but I enjoyed this.  

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($28) A dramatic cab. It would do well with food, and has a nice clean finish.

2009 Sangiovese ($28) This wine is very strong on the palette. It was a bit too rough for me, but I would imagine others would enjoy it.  

2009 Barbera ($26) Another astringent wine, but really fruity

Take Note:

Tasting is $10 per person, and waived with a purchase. Clesi does have a wine club, where members pay less for wine (15%-25%). They also sell their own stemware.