It was Saturday morning. The Turley party was scheduled to start at 11:00 AM, but once again it was 10:00 and I was thirsty.

Fortunately, Castoro Cellars opens at 10:00 and it was right down the road.

As I mentioned in the article that began this series, Castoro was the first winery we ever visited in Paso Robles. We just happened to pass the sign at the right time coming down the 101 from Monterey.

Castoro is what you expect in a tasting room.  Large wine bar, friendly staff, lots of wine being poured, and a bunch of stuff in the gift shop.

But Castoro is more than what meets the eye.

While the tasting room is on Highway 46 West right off the 101, the actual winery that Niels Udsen and his wife Bimmer founded is in San Miguel. Niels, for reasons I have yet to determine, was long ago nicknamed “Beaver”, which is the source of the name of the winery [translated into Italian] as well as their slogan “dam fine wine”. In addition to the wine made for Castoro, the Udsens also operate a custom crush facility and a mobile bottling line, which enables smaller wineries to take advantage of these services.

At the tasting room, Castoro offers a wide range of wines, including:
Chardonnay
Fume [Sauvignon] Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Noir
Barbera
Cabernet Sauvignon
Zinfandel

They also make a tasty Bordeaux blend, and annually they produce an anniversary blend that includes several of the grapes they work with. Our first visit to Castoro way back when, we purchased the 10th anniversary blend, and this time they were pouring Venti Cinque Anni 2006, their 25th anniversary blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec.

This visit, we were especially fond of their 2008 Primitivo, which they refer to as a Zinfandel made in an Italian style.

You don’t often hear a lot about Castoro Cellars when people give you their recommendations of wineries to visit in Paso Robles. I think you should stop by.

Michael Perlis provides outsourced controller services to businesses that do not need a full-time controller. He balances this with his interest in wine: reading and writing about it and, of course, drinking it. He is still trying to figure out how to combine these two pursuits. Feel free to contact him about either at mcpfinancial@aol.com or michaelthezinfan@aol.com.  “It is common practice for wine industry workers, wine writers and winery club members [and members of their party] to receive complimentary tastings and discounted purchases. Unless it is otherwise noted, it should be presumed that this is the case.”