Hard to believe that this is already the 5th vintage of the Garagiste Festival held in Paso Robles every year since 2011. We reported on it back then and have continued to keep Eve’s Wine 101 readers updated on the Paso event as well as sister events in Solvang and Los Angeles.
As the years have gone by, the Paso Robles event has expanded into a multi-day extravaganza, with winemaker dinners, seminars, mixers and, of course, the main event. Attendees can buy the entire package or opt to pick and choose from the menu of choices.
This year, we weren’t unable to attend the main event due to a previous commitment. Instead, my wife Karen and I chose the “mixer” on Friday night at Broken Earth winery in Paso Robles. At what might have been the steal of the weekend, this tasting was really a combination of two things…
The Garagiste Festival started out primarily as an event showcasing the small wineries of Paso Robles, although even at the beginning there were participants from out of the area. As the festival has expanded, especially with the addition of the Solvang and Los Angeles events, and became known as one of the premium California annual wine tastings, more participants come from outside of the Paso Robles area.
The Friday evening mixer highlighted the out-of-town wineries. Participants (Of those I tasted, ** indicates my favorites of the evening):
**Cholame Vineyard (Central Coast)
**Erin E. Wines (Napa and Sonoma)
Flywheel (Monterey)
Holman Cellars (Napa Valley)
Incindium Wines (Napa Valley)
Lynch Wines (Sierra Foothills)
**Mattina Fiore (Central Coast)
Murder Ridge (Mendocino Ridge)
Starfield Vineyards (Napa)
Theopolis Vineyards (Anderson Valley)
**Two Shepherds (Sonoma)
Turiya (Central Coast)
But that’s not all…
A select group of Paso Robles wineries participated in this special event, tasked with pouring one “rare & reserve wine” by each winery –
**Alta Colina [Library] 2011 Block 2 Bio Syrah
Artisan Uprising [Pre-release] 2014 Tempranillo
**Ascension Cellars [Pre-release] 2013 “Trinity” GSM Blend
Bon Niche Cellars [Pre-release] 2012 “Chemin” Bordeaux Blend
Caldera Cuvee [Library – 1st vintage] 2009 “The Blend”
Caliza Winery [Library] 2011 “Cohort” Tempranillo/Rhone Blend
Deno Wines [Reserve] 2011 Zinfandel / GSM Blend
**Diablo Paso [Library] 2013 Garnacha
**Dubost Ranch [Club Only] 2012 Petite Sirah
Felten Cellars [Barrel Sample] 2013 Tempranillo
**Hoyt Family Vineyards [Library] 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
**Kaleidos Winery [Library] 2002 Syrah
**MCV Vines [Club Only] 2013 “Black” Petite Sirah / Tannat / Petit Verdot
Powell Mountain Cellars [Library] 2010 Pinnacle Blend
**Prizm Winery [Pre-release] 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
Ranchero Cellars [Library] 2011 “Revolver” Syrah/Carignan
Ranchita Canyon [Library] 2010 Old Vine Petite Sirah
Rendarrio Vineyards [Library] 2006 Syrah
Soaring Hawk Vineyards [Barrel Sample] 2013 Syrah
**Stanger Vineyards [Barrel Samples]
Vinemark Cellars [Reserve] 2012 Pinot Noir, Paso Robles
**Vines on the Marycrest [Club Only] 2013 “Spanish Bombs” Tempranillo Blends
Vino Vargas [Reserve] 2012 Pinot Noir, Russian River
Some of these, such as Alta Colina, Caliza, Kaleidos, Rendarrio, Vines on the Marycrest, Ranchero Cellars and Stanger, have been Garagiste participants since the first year.
Rounding things out, Bristol Ciders of Lone Madrone Winery was pouring hard cider.
In spite of all these great wines being poured, perusing the Garagiste website makes me feel that I should have attended the main event also. Hopefully, next year we’ll make a weekend out of it.
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
