“Six wines, eight hundred cases, free to taste, no appointment — the least friction in Santa Margarita Ranch.”
= shared rank: 19 producers score 87
Rocky Grade is a Picpoul Blanc producer in the Santa Margarita Ranch of the Paso Robles AVA, California. Cruxvine scores it 87 out of 100 — 2 points above the Paso Robles median of 85 — ranking it =57 of 187 producers in the appellation (tied with 18 other producers). Its strongest category is wine quality (92); its weakest is tasting room (78). The average bottle costs $72, against a regional median of $69. Tasting: 5512 Live Oak Rd, Santa Margarita · Daily 11:00–18:00 · walk-ins welcome · tasting free. Cruxvine has no financial relationship with Rocky Grade; bottles were purchased at retail.
How the Crux Score works · All 19 producers in Santa Margarita Ranch · All 187 in Paso Robles
Crux Score 87 is these five weighted, not their average. The weighting is published.
5512 Live Oak Rd
Santa Margarita, CA · Santa Margarita Ranch
Daily 11:00–18:00
Walk-ins welcome
Free
Dogs welcome · No food service
Tasting room scored 78
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.
Rocky Grade is not a Cruxvine customer. Bottles purchased at retail.
6 wines assessed, poured blind across two sessions.
Independent · family-held since 1980. Reports 92% estate-grown fruit.
Discloses fining and filtration only. Transparency scored 81.
Cruxvine scores Rocky Grade's tasting room 78 out of 100 and the winery 87 overall, ranking it =57 of 187 in Paso Robles. Its tasting room score is below the Paso Robles median of 83. Six wines, eight hundred cases, free to taste, no appointment — the least friction in Santa Margarita Ranch.
Tasting at Rocky Grade is free.
No — Rocky Grade takes walk-ins. It is open Daily, 11:00–18:00.
Rocky Grade is a Picpoul Blanc specialist. Cruxvine assessed 6 of its wines, poured blind, and its best-scoring vintage on record is 2018 at 92 points.
The 2023 bottling drinks from 2024 and is at peak between 2024 and 2026, holding to about 2028.
At Rocky Grade, dogs are welcome.