Producers whose tasting room welcomes dogs, ranked by Crux Score. Median Crux Score in this group is 84, against 85 for the appellation.
A Merlot built for its second decade in bottle, with a tasting room scoring 100 for the people who will not wait that long.
Walk in, pay fifteen dollars, and drink Mourvèdre from a house that scores 98 for both its room and its candour.
The only transparency score of 100 in Paso Robles, on seventeen wines from fourteen hundred cases of Adelaida Cabernet.
Ninety-nine for value at $40 a bottle, from eight hundred cases of San Miguel Mourvèdre — the price has not caught up with the wine.
Eighteen wines is too many; the ones that hold the 95 are the Mourvèdres, and 2024 is the vintage to buy.
Fifty-four years in Templeton Gap on 55% estate fruit; the Tempranillo is consistent at 95 and the room has never been the point.
Four wines, all estate, all San Miguel Petit Verdot, $61, and a value score of 100 that the 80-point room does not spoil.
The Tempranillo is 95-point wine; at $108 with value at 74, it is the weakest bargain in Willow Creek.
Adelaida Viognier at $109 with a value score of 77 — a serious white asking a red's price.
A 93 for value on 40% estate fruit: Dellamo Hollow is buying well and passing some of it on.
| # | Producer & verdict | Crux | Avg | Value | Δ med 84 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Whitcomb & Naveau Templeton Gap District · Merlot · Templeton A Merlot built for its second decade in bottle, with a tasting room scoring 100 for the people who will not wait that long. | 96 | $101 | 86 | +12 | |
| =5 | Kiler Winery Templeton Gap District · Mourvèdre · Templeton Walk in, pay fifteen dollars, and drink Mourvèdre from a house that scores 98 for both its room and its candour. | 94 | $99 | 87 | +10 | |
| =9 | Amsel Hollow Adelaida District · Cabernet Sauvignon · Paso Robles The only transparency score of 100 in Paso Robles, on seventeen wines from fourteen hundred cases of Adelaida Cabernet. | 93 | $86 | 87 | +9 | |
| =13 | Braithe Trail San Miguel District · Mourvèdre · San Miguel Ninety-nine for value at $40 a bottle, from eight hundred cases of San Miguel Mourvèdre — the price has not caught up with the wine. | 92 | $40 | 99 | +8 | |
| =13 | Ridgemark & Nolby Templeton Gap District · Mourvèdre · Templeton Eighteen wines is too many; the ones that hold the 95 are the Mourvèdres, and 2024 is the vintage to buy. | 92 | $102 | 79 | +8 | |
| =19 | Bramble Hill Templeton Gap District · Tempranillo · Templeton Fifty-four years in Templeton Gap on 55% estate fruit; the Tempranillo is consistent at 95 and the room has never been the point. | 91 | $85 | 88 | +7 | |
| =19 | Calf Gate San Miguel District · Petit Verdot · San Miguel Four wines, all estate, all San Miguel Petit Verdot, $61, and a value score of 100 that the 80-point room does not spoil. | 91 | $61 | 100 | +7 | |
| =19 | Huer Huero Hill Willow Creek District · Tempranillo · Paso Robles The Tempranillo is 95-point wine; at $108 with value at 74, it is the weakest bargain in Willow Creek. | 91 | $108 | 74 | +7 | |
| =30 | Jarrow Ranch Adelaida District · Viognier · Paso Robles Adelaida Viognier at $109 with a value score of 77 — a serious white asking a red's price. | 90 | $109 | 77 | +6 | |
| =37 | Dellamo Hollow Willow Creek District · Mourvèdre · Paso Robles A 93 for value on 40% estate fruit: Dellamo Hollow is buying well and passing some of it on. | 89 | $78 | 93 | +5 | |
| =37 | Draycott Trail Templeton Gap District · Merlot · Templeton Four wines, one of them the Merlot that earns the 93, and a $50 fee that Templeton Gap increasingly assumes you will pay. | 89 | $94 | 78 | +5 | |
| =37 | Huer Huero Rise Paso Robles Highlands District · Zinfandel · Creston Fourteen thousand cases from five wines, transparency at 96 — a large producer that behaves like a small one. | 89 | $64 | 86 | +5 | |
| =37 | Shell Vineyards Adelaida District · Roussanne · Paso Robles Nineteen Adelaida wines with a Roussanne at their centre, full additions published, and a value score of 78 that says so. | 89 | $104 | 78 | +5 | |
| =37 | York Mesa Creston District · Petite Sirah · Creston Four wines, walk-in, $45 to sit down and 79 for transparency — York Mesa would rather pour than explain. | 89 | $64 | 84 | +5 | |
| =51 | Stapleton Ridge Willow Creek District · Counoise · Paso Robles Eighteen wines is a lot of Counoise to get through in a room scoring 79; the wine itself is the reason to try. | 88 | $83 | 84 | +4 | |
| =57 | Amsel & Thorne Santa Margarita Ranch · Counoise · Santa Margarita Ninety-three for the wine, 78 for the room: Amsel & Thorne is a bottle shop that happens to have chairs. | 87 | $70 | 80 | +3 | |
| =57 | Boye Cellars Creston District · Mourvèdre · Creston Fourteen thousand estate cases, no appointment needed, and vintages that swing from 79 to 91 — buy by the year, not the label. | 87 | $78 | 83 | +3 | |
| =57 | Rhodes & Corliss Willow Creek District · Grenache · Paso Robles Publishes its full additions list and pours without appointment; the Grenache is 91-point wine at a 75-point price. | 87 | $91 | 75 | +3 | |
| =57 | Rocky Grade Santa Margarita Ranch · Picpoul Blanc · Santa Margarita Six wines, eight hundred cases, free to taste, no appointment — the least friction in Santa Margarita Ranch. | 87 | $72 | 85 | +3 | |
| =76 | Cañada Springs Creston District · Mourvèdre · Creston A $45 fee and a value score of 71 on Creston Mourvèdre grown 65% on the estate; the room is better than the maths. | 86 | $86 | 71 | +2 | |
| =76 | Fairbourne Bend Adelaida District · Merlot · Paso Robles Adelaida's oldest house, founded 1972, asking $101 for Merlot that scores 89 — value at 70 says the seniority is priced in. | 86 | $101 | 70 | +2 | |
| =76 | Kenmar Winery El Pomar District · Mourvèdre · Templeton Fourteen thousand cases founded in 2014, 92% estate, and a Mourvèdre that has not dipped below 80 in a decade. | 86 | $76 | 84 | +2 | |
| =88 | Hemsley Grade Adelaida District · Counoise · Paso Robles Seventeen wines, no vineyard, no additions list — Hemsley Grade is a brand before it is a farm. | 85 | $65 | 84 | +1 | |
| =88 | Rhodes Trail Paso Robles Geneseo District · Picpoul Blanc · Paso Robles Consistency at 91 from a house that owns no fruit and lists no additions: bought well, explained badly. | 85 | $78 | 81 | +1 | |
| =88 | Stapleton Knoll Templeton Gap District · Syrah · Templeton Nine thousand cases of Templeton Gap Syrah at $53 that never quite excel and never disappoint. | 85 | $53 | 82 | +1 | |
| =88 | Thorne & Rhodes San Miguel District · Petite Sirah · San Miguel A 90-point room, walk-in, fifteen dollars, and a Petite Sirah at 86 — the visit outperforms the bottle. | 85 | $87 | 77 | +1 | |
| =104 | Boye Bluff Paso Robles Highlands District · Merlot · Creston Eight hundred cases, five wines, $91, and a room at 75 — a wine club with a tasting bar. | 84 | $91 | 77 | ±0 | |
| =104 | Chalk Gate San Miguel District · Grenache · San Miguel Fifty dollars to taste a $51 bottle, in a room scoring 75; Chalk Gate has the ratio backwards. | 84 | $51 | 83 | ±0 | |
| =104 | Huer Huero Gate Creston District · Tempranillo · Creston Nineteen wines out of twenty-two hundred cases is a range problem, not a quality one; the Tempranillo holds it together. | 84 | $73 | 76 | ±0 | |
| =104 | Marrow Cellars Adelaida District · Zinfandel · Paso Robles Fifty-one years old, eight hundred cases, thirteen wines and a room at 89; the Zinfandel is the least interesting thing here. | 84 | $83 | 72 | ±0 | |
| =104 | Prewitt & Halloran San Miguel District · Zinfandel · San Miguel Ninety-six per cent estate Zinfandel across eighteen wines, and a $50 fee that value at 75 does not support. | 84 | $83 | 75 | ±0 | |
| =104 | Ridgemark Bend San Juan Creek · Grenache · Shandon Sixteen wines from eight hundred cases, nothing owned and nothing disclosed — Ridgemark Bend is assembled, not grown. | 84 | $85 | 78 | ±0 | |
| =104 | York Knoll Paso Robles Estrella District · Petite Sirah · Paso Robles All estate Estrella Petite Sirah with a 91-point room, and 2024 is the best vintage York Knoll has bottled. | 84 | $74 | 77 | ±0 | |
| =118 | Cripple Cellars Adelaida District · Petite Sirah · Paso Robles A hundred and four dollars, value at 64, transparency at 68 and no estate fruit: the worst ratio in Adelaida. | 83 | $104 | 64 | −1 | |
| =118 | Cripple Row Paso Robles Geneseo District · Merlot · Paso Robles Seventeen wines at $47 from 40% estate fruit, walk-in — Cripple Row sells breadth cheaply and makes no claim beyond that. | 83 | $47 | 86 | −1 | |
| =118 | Nolby & Ostrom Santa Margarita Ranch · Counoise · Santa Margarita Thirty-five dollars, a 90-point room and nine thousand cases — Nolby & Ostrom is the volume play done charmingly. | 83 | $35 | 90 | −1 | |
| =118 | Orrick Hollow Creston District · Cabernet Sauvignon · Creston Nine thousand cases of $47 Cabernet with value at 92 — the best cheap red in Creston, from a house that owns no vines. | 83 | $47 | 92 | −1 | |
| =118 | Salinas Grove Paso Robles Highlands District · Syrah · Creston Forty-nine years in the Highlands, still no additions list and no estate fruit — the Syrah is better than the housekeeping. | 83 | $54 | 92 | −1 | |
| =118 | Vantrease & Ashby Paso Robles Highlands District · Petit Verdot · Creston A tasting room scoring 69 in front of $35 Petit Verdot with value at 97: buy the wine, skip the appointment. | 83 | $35 | 97 | −1 | |
| =118 | Yarrow & Rennick Paso Robles Estrella District · Cabernet Sauvignon · Paso Robles Fourteen wines from 92% estate Estrella fruit and a $50 fee that is not refunded — the wine is 86 and the welcome is 79. | 83 | $66 | 82 | −1 | |
| =137 | Rushmore Rise Paso Robles Highlands District · Tempranillo · Creston Sixteen wines at $58, walk-in, 80% estate: Rushmore Rise is a Highlands workhorse and does not claim otherwise. | 82 | $58 | 75 | −2 | |
| =147 | Hollis & Hemsley San Miguel District · Marsanne · San Miguel Twenty-seven dollars a bottle with value at 93: the whole case for San Miguel Marsanne, made cheaply. | 81 | $27 | 93 | −3 | |
| =147 | Lindqvist Furrow El Pomar District · Zinfandel · Templeton Fourteen thousand cases, four wines, 92% estate, walk-in — Lindqvist Furrow does one thing at scale and does it evenly. | 81 | $61 | 74 | −3 | |
| =159 | Cañada Reach San Miguel District · Petite Sirah · San Miguel Thirty-one dollars with value at 92 and transparency at 64 — cheap, improving, and unwilling to say why. | 80 | $31 | 92 | −4 | |
| =159 | Hollis Bend Paso Robles Geneseo District · Zinfandel · Paso Robles The 2024 is the best wine Hollis Bend has made in thirty-one years, which is worth knowing before you order the flight. | 80 | $54 | 78 | −4 | |
| =159 | Rocky Ranch Paso Robles Geneseo District · Petite Sirah · Paso Robles Twenty-three dollars a bottle and a $50 tasting fee: Rocky Ranch charges more to try it than to take it home. | 80 | $23 | 97 | −4 | |
| =159 | Whitcomb & Kell Paso Robles Estrella District · Mourvèdre · Paso Robles Eight hundred cases at $38 with value at 88, a $45 unrefunded fee, and nothing published about the wine. | 80 | $38 | 88 | −4 | |
| =167 | Fenwick Row Paso Robles Estrella District · Grenache Blanc · Paso Robles Fifty-four years old, free to taste, and a transparency score of 64 — Fenwick Row's Grenache Blanc arrives with no paperwork. | 79 | $44 | 80 | −5 | |
| =167 | Huer Huero Hollow Paso Robles Highlands District · Tempranillo · Creston Thirty-eight dollars and consistency at 74: fourteen wines that vary more than the price suggests they should. | 79 | $38 | 85 | −5 | |
| =167 | Jack Terrace San Juan Creek · Zinfandel · Shandon Nine thousand cases of $51 Zinfandel that scores 77 for quality — the value is real and so is the ceiling. | 79 | $51 | 85 | −5 | |
| =167 | Lindqvist Crossing San Juan Creek · Cabernet Sauvignon · Shandon Four wines, fourteen thousand cases, a 66-point room and a $50 fee — the fee buys you very little here. | 79 | $47 | 87 | −5 | |
| =167 | Summit Row El Pomar District · Viognier · Templeton Fourteen wines from eight hundred cases, and no vintage above 82 across the ten on record. | 79 | $67 | 76 | −5 | |
| =173 | Calf Bench San Juan Creek · Zinfandel · Shandon Ten wines, 88% estate, walk-in, $45 — Calf Bench is unremarkable in every direction and priced as though it were not. | 78 | $54 | 76 | −6 | |
| =173 | Orsini Furrow San Miguel District · Albariño · San Miguel Eighteen wines from eight hundred cases, free to taste, walk in: an Albariño house spread across far too many labels. | 78 | $70 | 74 | −6 | |
| =176 | Barn Row Paso Robles Estrella District · Counoise · Paso Robles Fourteen thousand cases of Estrella Counoise at $70 with a 70-point room; the scale has outrun the reason for it. | 77 | $70 | 72 | −7 | |
| =176 | Linne Crossing Paso Robles Highlands District · Roussanne · Creston Nineteen wines from eight hundred cases at $49, walk-in, 96% estate — enormous range, small vineyard, modest wine. | 77 | $49 | 82 | −7 | |
| =179 | Kell Grove Adelaida District · Viognier · Paso Robles Fourteen thousand cases of Viognier from a 65-point room; 2024 is the best vintage, which is not saying a great deal. | 76 | $50 | 77 | −8 | |
| =179 | Peachy Hollow San Juan Creek · Zinfandel · Shandon Fourteen thousand cases and a $50 fee for wine that scores 76: the most expensive way to be disappointed in San Juan Creek. | 76 | $60 | 75 | −8 | |
| =183 | Nolby Trail Paso Robles Estrella District · Cabernet Sauvignon · Paso Robles Seven wines, eight hundred cases, free to taste, walk in, and a 67-point room: cheap in every sense. | 75 | $41 | 78 | −9 |
Cruxvine scores 59 of the 187 producers in the Paso Robles AVA that match: dogs welcome. The median Crux Score among them is 84 against 85 for Paso Robles as a whole. The highest are Whitcomb & Naveau (96), Kiler Winery (94), Amsel Hollow (93).