Perlis Picks: Make Your Own Paso [Part 2]

Fun and More at Tobin James Cellars

What do you think of when you think about Tobin James Cellars? For me, it’s three things – quality, consistency, and yes, that F-word – fun.

In Part 1, I wrote about Denner Vineyards. To me, Denner is one of the newer wineries in the area, although it is now celebrating its 10^th year. Time flies.

One of the older wineries in the area is Tobin James Cellars, although I remember when Toby was the new kid on the block.

We stopped in for a visit to the tasting room to chat with Claire and Lance Silver, who own the winery along with Tobin James. Of course, the place was full of happy customers. It seems like that is always the case here – why is that so?

Well, as I mentioned above, one reason is because it’s fun. But, that can’t be enough. For one visit, sure. Maybe a second time. But, if the wine isn’t good, they’re not going to keep coming back.

That’s where the quality and consistency come in. Toby started making wine long before he opened his tasting room on the east side of Paso Robles in February 1994, which now serves as the unofficial gateway into and out of Paso Robles wine country.

The Silvers joined him in his endeavors in 1996 and together they expanded the winemaking operation. “Newcomer” Jeff Poe has been doing the heavy lifting as head winemaker since 2001, but the owners are all involved with Jeff in the final blending decisions. The consistency of that decision making along with the dozens of long-term contracts with outstanding vineyards are what result in the delicious final product and how you know you will love the “Made in the Shade” Merlot, delight in the richness of the “Fatboy” Zinfandel, and count on the “Blue Moon Reserve” Zinfandel and Syrah to be amongst the best around, year after year after year.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, though, there is usually something new at the tasting room, such as the 2012 Tannat [aptly named “Palindrome”]. And not visible to the public are the ongoing efforts towards conservation and water efficiency.

There are a lot of choices for wine in Paso Robles. But, Tobin James is the one tasting room that seems to be always busy. With happy people tasting and buying that great Tobin James wine.

[And I almost forgot to mention Chef Marc LeDuc wandering around with pizza and other delectables.] Come for the fun, stay for the wine. Or vice versa.

Tobin James Cellars

8950 Union Road
Paso Robles, California 93446

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com