“A paying customer with a transparency score of 69, no estate fruit and no additions list — the score is 84 and the billing changed none of it.”
= shared rank: 14 producers score 84
Steelhead Bench is a Cabernet Sauvignon producer in the Adelaida District of the Paso Robles AVA, California. Cruxvine scores it 84 out of 100 — 1 point below the Paso Robles median of 85 — ranking it =104 of 187 producers in the appellation (tied with 13 other producers). Its strongest category is value for price (88); its weakest is transparency (69). The average bottle costs $57, against a regional median of $69. Tasting: 6883 Vineyard Dr, Paso Robles · Daily 10:00–17:00 · appointment required · $50 tasting, waived on purchase. Steelhead Bench pays Cruxvine $149/month for a claimed listing, which buys nothing in this review; the full customer list is published.
How the Crux Score works · All 24 producers in Adelaida District · All 187 in Paso Robles
Crux Score 84 is these five weighted, not their average. The weighting is published.
6883 Vineyard Dr
Paso Robles, CA · Adelaida District
Daily 10:00–17:00
By appointment
$50 per person
Waived on purchase
No dogs · Food served
Tasting room scored 87
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.
Steelhead Bench pays us for a claimed listing. It buys nothing in this review — see the customer list.
13 wines assessed, poured blind across two sessions.
Independent · no parent group on file. Does not report an estate-fruit percentage.
Declines to disclose additions. Transparency scored 69.
Cruxvine scores Steelhead Bench's tasting room 87 out of 100 and the winery 84 overall, ranking it =104 of 187 in Paso Robles. Its tasting room score is above the Paso Robles median of 83. A paying customer with a transparency score of 69, no estate fruit and no additions list — the score is 84 and the billing changed none of it.
Tasting at Steelhead Bench costs $50 per person, waived with a bottle purchase.
Yes — Steelhead Bench is by appointment only. It is open Daily, 10:00–17:00.
Steelhead Bench is a Cabernet Sauvignon specialist. Cruxvine assessed 13 of its wines, poured blind, and its best-scoring vintage on record is 2021 at 90 points.
The 2021 bottling drinks from 2022 and is at peak between 2029 and 2033, holding to about 2039.
At Steelhead Bench, food is served.