Paso
Robles 2021-2023: Far From Typical

BY ERIC GUIDO |&nbsp;JULY 25, 2024During my June 2024 visit to Paso Robles, most winemakers were excited about what they had maturing in barrel. They had left behind the
2020 vintage and the heavy rainfalls that washed out roads and saturated the
vineyards in 2023 and were looking forward to future vintages.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1721914281693-The+Regeneratively+farmed+vineyards+of+Villa+Creek_copy_COVER.jpg">Villa Creek's&nbsp;regeneratively farmed vineyards. 

It’s interesting to consider how climate change affects
different parts of the world. We can’t generalize that it is simply getting
warmer. Any winemaker or grower will tell you that dramatic weather events are
the real effect of climate change. When it rains, it’s torrential. When it’s
dry, it's a severe drought. When it’s cool, it’s unseasonably cool for extended
periods. Wine-producing regions worldwide are changing their way of thinking
about the varieties planted in the vineyards, the elevations and expositions of
the vines and the farming techniques. During my time in Paso Robles this year, many
conversations revolved around climate. In most cases, producers were cautiously
optimistic. The reason for this optimism is the series of vintages the region
has experienced over the past four years, with 2022 being the only outlier. The
2021, 2023 and, quite possibly, 2024 vintages (assuming things stay the current
course) are all years where Paso witnessed cooler-than-average temperatures
and, in the case of 2023 and 2024, higher-than-average rainfall. This could result
in a change in winemaking practices in the area and, ultimately, how consumers perceive
the wines. Alcohol levels are slightly decreasing. I believe this will be more
evident in the 2023s during next year's tastings. There are several theories as
to why this may be happening. One of the most logical involves the general
warming of areas toward the east, which creates a vacuum as hot air rises and
increases the cooling currents that sweep in from the Templeton Gap.&nbsp;

To paint the picture for readers who are just joining the
conversation, Paso Robles is located along US Highway 101, halfway between Los
Angeles and San Francisco, with the Santa Lucia Mountains defining its western
border and the Cholame Hills to the east. When driving up North 5 from Los
Angeles, as the highway turns east, you’re crossing a desert. The only green
around this route comes from well-irrigated plantations and nothing else.
However, to the west, cool air from the Pacific Ocean is pulled across the
Santa Lucia Mountains through the Templeton Gap due to
warm air rising in Paso Robles.&nbsp;In this section, the
forests are lush, and the average rainfall is high.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1721914430251-Inventive+bottle+storage+in+the+Saxum+winery_copy.jpg">Inventive bottle storage in the Saxum winery. 

In Paso Robles, it’s common to experience daytime
temperatures reaching as high as 100 degrees, followed by a drastic drop of
30-40 degrees at night. This push and pull allows the region to excel with a
large array of varieties. Those shifts also help grapes retain acidity despite brutally
warm temperatures during the day. To put this into perspective, Paso Robles
witnesses an average of around 20 inches of rain a year, including all Paso
districts. The 2020, 2021 and 2022 growing seasons received far less. If these
dry years continue, the region will be classified as a desert sooner or later.

Paso Robles excels and will remain viable regardless of the
climate or changes in taste because of the range of cultivated varieties. I
can’t think of another region, especially one as small, that can come close to
successfully growing such a diverse array of grape types. While Cabernet
Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the most heavily planted red and white cultivars, you’d
never know it when you visited the top wineries. For them, Rhône varieties take
precedence. Clairette Blanche, Viognier, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc make up most
of the whites, with Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Cinsault and
Counoise filling out the reds. Most winemakers choose to blend, just as they do
in the Southern Rhône, and then label their wines with fantasy names–I often
wonder how it's possible to come up with so many catchy wine names without
running out of inspiration. Luckily, the wines almost always have a list of the
blend on the back label. Like the Southern Rhône, blending permits winemakers
to make small changes each year to help find balance from vintage to vintage.

A good example would be in 2022, where Saxum added a larger
amount of Mataro to offset the low yields of Grenache. Or a grape such as Counoise
could be added to bring more spice and acidity. However, there’s also no
shortage of many other international grapes, from Merlot to Malbec,
Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and, let's not forget, some
of the oldest plantings of Zinfandel in the country. The list goes on and
on.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1721914379596-Some+of+the+oldest+vines+in+Paso%2C+Old-vine+Zinfandel+in+the+Dusi+vineyard%2C+planted+in+1925_copy.jpg">The old-vine Zinfandel in the Dusi vineyard are some of the oldest vines in Paso. They&nbsp;were planted in 1925.Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad Winemakers in Paso Robles are thrilled with recent vintages.
Typically, a trip to the region wouldn’t leave me with three years to talk
about. The timing of this year’s visit compared to the previous trip offered
the opportunity to get the full scope: the late-released 2021s, the current
releases from 2022 and a sneak peek at 2023. While it is too early to assess the
overall quality of 2023, its potential is evident, assuming that winemakers
could adapt to such a wildly unique season.

The 2021 wines are impossible to ignore today and
have the potential to over-impress in the coming decade or more. They are classic,
powerful, structured, complex and long-aging. Add to that the inherent spike
of Paso Robles acidity. Two thousand twenty-one was the second year of the
three-year drought cycle that started in 2020. As a result, the vines produced lower
yields, relatively small berries and thick skins with good concentration and
intensity. Despite dry conditions, temperatures remained lower (by Paso
standards) throughout the season. Jason Hass of Tablas Creek commented that the
year was 10% cooler than average through August, September and October, resulting
in a long growing season. He went on to explain, “We were able to pick at
optimal ripeness without any stress.” Jeremy Weintraub, winemaker of Adelaida,
added, “Only two days in August and one day in September hit 100 degrees. More
importantly, the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) remained low.” (The vapor
pressure deficit refers to the combination of temperatures and moisture in the
air. If the air is incredibly dry, it will draw water from the vines.) Without
any significant heat spikes through the season and extreme diurnal shifts, 2021
saw the highest average acidity in wines since 2011. When tasting, the quality
of the year becomes quickly apparent. In nearly all cases, the 2021s need
another few years to come around.

The 2022 harvest was the result of two major events.
During the growing season, a late spring frost on May 11th drastically reduced
yields at lower elevations, primarily for white varieties. In addition, the
overall warm year and the third season in the drought cycle culminated in
stressed, frost-beaten vines with uneven bunches ripening so fast during
harvest that they risked becoming prunes. It’s no surprise that winemakers
don’t enjoy recounting the events of 2022. Russell P. From of Herman Story half-jokingly
stated, “The only good thing about 2022 was that it was followed by 2023”. Yet,
many winemakers made some pretty fantastic wines.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1721914328724-Barrel+aging+and+tasting+room+at+Herman+Story+Wine_copy.jpg">Herman Story's&nbsp;barrel aging and tasting room. 

For the most part, the 2022 harvest culminated in early-drinking,
accessible wines built on elegance and ripe fruit. However, the heatwave that
started right before picking–ten days of over 105-degree heat at the worst
possible time–ultimately defined the vintage. This forced winemakers to quickly
evaluate when to get their fruit off the vines best.

In some cases, wineries early harvested some of their white
varieties. This rush created logistical problems throughout the region, including
finding the workforce to help harvest, scheduling picking times with growers,
and moving the fruit into the winery without running out of space and
resources. Winemakers worked around the clock and had never seen their wineries
in such a haggard state. Justin Smith of Saxum explained, “Success in 2022
depended entirely on how you handled the heat wave, with due diligence in the
vineyards and sorting. We had to play triage.” What’s more, diurnal temperature
shifts were nowhere near what Paso typically receives, with evenings that
remained in the high seventies.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The unusual disruption in Paso Robles’ weather conditions
in 2023 was a welcome trait. Instead of the typically hot and dry conditions
Paso Robles is used to, 2023 brought significant rainfall and cool temperatures
for the first time since 2011. The region received almost 50 inches of rain,
which broke all records for precipitation. The long and cool growing season and
ample water supplies in the soils allowed grapes to ripen gradually. Then,
growers were blessed with a Second Summer in October and November, almost like
the cherry on top of a proverbial sundae. This nice weather permitted them to
pick at their leisure.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1721914467051-Paso+Robles+exels+with+Rhone+varieties_copy.jpg">Paso Robles excels with Rhône&nbsp;varieties. 

In many cases, harvests lasted well into November. The
resulting wines are intense and complex, with fresh acidity and notable
minerality. At this time, I have tasted mainly whites and reds from barrel, but
if these are any indicators, 2023 may be one of the most interesting vintages
in Paso Robles history. With more important reds getting bottled, my concern is
whether winemakers used to hot and extremely dry average vintages were prepared
to capture the balance offered by this unique season. Only time will tell, and
I can’t wait to revisit Paso Robles next year to find out.&nbsp;

I tasted nearly all the wines for this report in Paso
Robles in June 2024, combining producer visits and centralized tastings, plus follow-ups
in our New York City office.&nbsp;© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/paso-robles-boundless-diversity-may-2023">Paso Robles: Boundless Diversity</a>, Eric Guido, May 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/paso-robles-seductive-2018s-and-2019s-jul-2022">Paso Robles: Seductive 2018s and 2019s</a>, Josh Raynolds, July 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/paso-robles-2018-&amp;-2017-grace-and-power-dec-2020">Paso Robles 2018 &amp; 2017: Grace and Power</a>, Josh Raynolds, December 2020

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