And not a minute too soon! In the last few months we’ve managed to break two of our Garagiste glasses. That made attending the Paso Robles event an imperative. So we did. This is our overview. We will post reviews of individual wineries over the next few weeks.
Along with several hundred of our best friends, we witnessed Garagiste returns to its roots in Paso Robles. For those who don’t remember, this is a key event to discover new, small wineries. Some will go on to great success. See Pence Ranch and Lazarre Wines. Many are happy producing below the 1,500 case limit for Garagiste participation. Virtually all have online ordering and shipping to states that allow it.
Garagiste crowd. Click for larger image.
Pinot Noir
We tasted eight wineries’ pinot noirs:
| Name and Link to Winery Page | Review Link |
| Amrita Cellars | |
| Cayucos Cellars | |
| Demeter Family Cellars | |
| Dusty Nabor | Dusty Nabor Review |
| Entnyre Wines | Etnyre Review |
| Hayseed & Housdon | |
| Seven Angels Cellars | |
| Volatus Winery | Volatus Review |
Our favorites were Volatus, Entnyre, and Seven Angels. But you will be happy with pinots from any of these folks.
Best Labels
The award for best labels goes to Innate Wines. Sadly, they do not produce a pinot noir. We made a mistake not tasting their wines because it looks like they distribute exclusively in South Carolina with no direct sales. Luckily, we picked up a business card from Nathan DeCamps, owner, winemaker, and likely chief bottle-washer. We’ll contact him to get his story.
(click for larger image)
Chardonnay
This was the surprise of the event. We like chardonnays with minimal oak and no butter. (We’ll make an exception for the rare butterscotch.) Every single one of the chardonnays we tasted has nice notes of honeydew melon in the aromas and on the palate. They vary with the amount and type of citrus, with an occasional note of herbs.
| Name and Link to Winery Page | Review Link |
| Hayseed & Housdon | |
| MEA Wine | |
| Optio Vineyards | |
| Seven Angels Cellars | |
| Torch Cellars | Torch Cellars Review |
| Volatus Winery | Volatus Review |
Conclusion
Goodbye to another Garagiste. Click for larger image.
This was one of the most exciting Garagiste festivals we have attended. We look forward to drinking their wines over the next few years.
