“Ten wines, 88% estate, walk-in, $45 — Calf Bench is unremarkable in every direction and priced as though it were not.”
= shared rank: 3 producers score 78
Calf Bench is a Zinfandel producer in the San Juan Creek of the Paso Robles AVA, California. Cruxvine scores it 78 out of 100 — 7 points below the Paso Robles median of 85 — ranking it =173 of 187 producers in the appellation (tied with 2 other producers). Its strongest category is transparency (80); its weakest is consistency (75). The average bottle costs $54, against a regional median of $69. Tasting: 5676 Nacimiento Lake Dr, Shandon · Sat–Sun 10:00–16:00 · walk-ins welcome · $45 tasting. Cruxvine has no financial relationship with Calf Bench; bottles were purchased at retail.
How the Crux Score works · All 21 producers in San Juan Creek · All 187 in Paso Robles
Crux Score 78 is these five weighted, not their average. The weighting is published.
5676 Nacimiento Lake Dr
Shandon, CA · San Juan Creek
Sat–Sun 10:00–16:00
Walk-ins welcome
$45 per person
Dogs welcome · No food service
Tasting room scored 79
2020 carries smoke exposure from the August complex fires. We score bottles, not intentions.
Every producer in the appellation is scored for each of these years. See the whole Paso Robles vintage record, or what 2020 cost every producer here.
Calf Bench is not a Cruxvine customer. Bottles purchased at retail.
10 wines assessed, poured blind across two sessions.
Independent · no parent group on file. Reports 88% estate-grown fruit.
Discloses fining and filtration only. Transparency scored 80.
Cruxvine scores Calf Bench's tasting room 79 out of 100 and the winery 78 overall, ranking it =173 of 187 in Paso Robles. Its tasting room score is below the Paso Robles median of 83. Ten wines, 88% estate, walk-in, $45 — Calf Bench is unremarkable in every direction and priced as though it were not.
Tasting at Calf Bench costs $45 per person.
No — Calf Bench takes walk-ins. It is open Sat–Sun, 10:00–16:00.
Calf Bench is a Zinfandel specialist. Cruxvine assessed 10 of its wines, poured blind, and its best-scoring vintage on record is 2018 at 84 points.
The 2021 bottling drinks from 2022 and is at peak between 2024 and 2027, holding to about 2031.
At Calf Bench, dogs are welcome.