After three weeks in Jackson, we once again packed up the motor home and hit the road for a 12-day wine tour in Central California. The weather was beautiful and it was good to get back to the area after three years.
Paso Robles
Our first stop was in Paso Robles, where we met up with old friends and new, all from Southern California. Paso Robles is located in San Luis Obispo County midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Called "Paso" by locals, the Paso Robles AVA (American Viticultural Area) is known for its warm-climate varietals including Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Rhône-style GSMs (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre). While there, we stayed at the WIne Country RV Resort.
Winery Highlights
We visited quite a few wineries over four days and all ten of us were pretty wined out by the end. We've focused on the ones that stood out.
Opolo Vineyards, one of our favorites in the region, is renowned for its Mountain Zinfandel as well as its Cabernet Sauvignons. We purchased several bottles of each. The winery is located on a beautiful estate on the west side of Paso Robles. We also make it a point to have lunch there because their wood-fired pizzas are superb and the perfect accompaniment to their wines.
La Vigne WInery is another repeat visit, mostly due to, well, the cheese. In addition to its wines, La Vigne also offers artisan cheeses to both pair with a tasting flight and to purchase from their cheese shop. We did both and ended up with a couple of bottles of 2019 Nikiara, a red blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot) and a chunk of nutty smoked Gouda and an Irish cheddar. Yum.
Our tasting at L'Adventure Winery was, by far, the most expensive. Fifty dollars just for the tasting. Ouch. This appointment-only small production winery specializes in Rhône-style blends. The winemaker, a transplant from France, chose to make wine in Paso because of its similarities to the terroir of the Rhône Valley. The wines have had consistently high scores from Robert M. Parker.
We also had a tour of their wine caves. They store and age their wines in a vast tunnel of caves that keep the temperature cool and the humidity controlled. The winemaker uses French oak barrels (of course) to impart a soft, deep toast into his wines. In addition to barrels, he also uses clay and cement vessels for some of the blends.
We purchased only one bottle, a 2021 Côte a Côte, a GSM. It is a beautiful wine but comes with a hefty price tag.
Sensorio
Paso Robles is also home to Sensorio, one of the largest immersive outdoor art exhibitions in the world.
Also known as the Field of Light, the installation is located on 15 acres of rolling hills and made up of five exhibits that you walk through on a two-mile winding path.
Our group arrived before sundown, and enjoyed a cocktail and an awesome LA-based jazz band before heading out on the walk.
The exhibit contains nearly 100,000 bulbs and uses energy efficient LED lighting and fiber optics that are powered by 92 solar panels. No video or photography can show you how stunning it is, so we highly recommend seeing it in person if you're in the area.
Avila Beach
Next, we headed about an hour west and south to Avila Beach, a small coastal village just off Highway 1. We mainly went there because we wanted to check out the RV park. Avila Beach RV Resort is relatively new and was built into the side of a steep hill overlooking the Pacific. We had seen it as it was being constructed about five years ago.
As you can imagine, due to its location, it's fairly expensive per night. But it was certainly worth the two nights there. Each site had its own fire pit and all sites had amazing vistas.
Of course, because we're now lighthouse weirdos, we had to take a tour of the nearby Port San Luis Obispo Light Station. The entrance is right across the road from the RV park. They offer guided tours by appointment because the only way to get up there is by approved shuttle buses due to the proximity of a nearby power plant.
At the top of a long drive up Lighthouse Road, we were met by a docent who gave us a tour of the grounds. The light station consists of the lighthouse itself and the attached light house keeper's house, a fog signal building, and an oil house. The lighthouse is an example of Prairie Victorian architecture.
The lighthouse, completed in June 1890, had a steam powered fog whistle and the 4th Order Fresnel lens. In 1969, the Fresnel lens was retired (and is currently on display on site). The lighthouse was decommissioned 1974.
Again, definitely worth the time.
Santa Ynez Valley AVA
Our last stop was in Buellton, about an hour south of Avila Beach. We stayed at the Flying Flags RV Resort located in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. If you're not familiar with this region, it was featured in the 2004 Academy award-winning movie, Sideways, with Paul Giamatti and Sandra Oh (great flick if you haven't seen it).
Fun fact: In the movie, the character Miles Raymond played by Paul Giamatti trashed the varietal Merlot with the infamous line, “If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any f#$&! @* Merlot!” Almost overnight, Merlot sales plummeted. This decline in sales was directly attributed to the negative portrayal of Merlot in the movie. The film's success also sparked a dramatic increase in tourism for the wine region and soaring sales of Pinot Noir.
Also featured in the movie prominently is the Hitching Post 2 restaurant. One evening we decided to give it a try. It is known for its quality steaks and renowned Santa Maria-style barbecue. We all had a good meal that night.
Another restaurant we highly recommend is in the town of Solvang, about 10 minutes from Buellton. Peasants Feast is Michelin rated and features a really unique farm to table menu. We eat there every time we visit the area.
We also stopped by Kaena Wine and Babcock Winery two of our preferred wineries in the area and picked up a few bottles at each.
All in all, it was a super trip. The group we were with was fun, witty, and most importantly, had great senses of humor. It enhanced an already enjoyable adventure.
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Another fantastic blog!! I love that you are fully immersed in enjoying the "let's go anywhere and everywhere that interests us, when it interests us, and have a blast." Ahhhhh, that is indeed the freedom that sets us free. So glad that you are enjoying and sharing.
It was a great trip! It was so great to RV with you all again. And I’m so glad you wrote it up; I can now forward this onto my friends too!
What a wonderful review! Looks like an amazing trek. Thanks for sharing. And happy Thanksgiving.