“A Merlot built for its second decade in bottle, with a tasting room scoring 100 for the people who will not wait that long.”
= shared rank: 3 producers score 96
Whitcomb & Naveau is a Merlot producer in the Templeton Gap District of the Paso Robles AVA, California. Cruxvine scores it 96 out of 100 — 11 points above the Paso Robles median of 85 — ranking it =1 of 187 producers in the appellation (tied with 2 other producers). Its strongest category is tasting room (100); its weakest is value for price (86). The average bottle costs $101, against a regional median of $69. Tasting: 6953 Live Oak Rd, Templeton · Thu–Sun 11:00–17:00 · appointment required · $30 tasting, waived on purchase. Cruxvine has no financial relationship with Whitcomb & Naveau; bottles were purchased at retail.
How the Crux Score works · All 14 producers in Templeton Gap District · All 187 in Paso Robles
Crux Score 96 is these five weighted, not their average. The weighting is published.
6953 Live Oak Rd
Templeton, CA · Templeton Gap District
Thu–Sun 11:00–17:00
By appointment
$30 per person
Waived on purchase
Dogs welcome · No food service
Tasting room scored 100
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.
Whitcomb & Naveau is not a Cruxvine customer. Bottles purchased at retail.
16 wines assessed, poured blind across two sessions.
Independent · family-held since 1991. Reports 88% estate-grown fruit.
Discloses fining and filtration only. Transparency scored 89.
Cruxvine scores Whitcomb & Naveau's tasting room 100 out of 100 and the winery 96 overall, ranking it =1 of 187 in Paso Robles. Its tasting room score is above the Paso Robles median of 83. A Merlot built for its second decade in bottle, with a tasting room scoring 100 for the people who will not wait that long.
Tasting at Whitcomb & Naveau costs $30 per person, waived with a bottle purchase.
Yes — Whitcomb & Naveau is by appointment only. It is open Thu–Sun, 11:00–17:00.
Whitcomb & Naveau is a Merlot specialist. Cruxvine assessed 16 of its wines, poured blind, and its best-scoring vintage on record is 2024 at 99 points.
The 2021 bottling drinks from 2022 and is at peak between 2033 and 2039, holding to about 2048.
At Whitcomb & Naveau, dogs are welcome.