After some great tastings at Adelaida Cellars and DAOU Winery, we felt that we had time and energy for just one more winery. Based on our research and some excellent advice from a friend, we decided that our final tasting in Paso Robles would be at the McPrice Myers Winery. Although we gave up a lot of altitude as we left DAOU, we didn’t give up on quality of wine moving to McPrice Myers.
After the mountaintop mansion of DAOU, we found ourselves in a quaint barn-like building that combined a tasting room and a complete wine making and barreling facility. We entered to find a party atmosphere, including a party dog leading the festivities!
We wriggled our way up to the tasting bar and were welcomed by wine guide Pat. She set us up with a glass and started our tasting flight with their L’Ange Rouge Grenache from the Alta Mesa Vineyard (elevation 3,200 feet) in Los Olivos. With apricot aromas, this wine started out sweet and left with a peppery finish. Quite a chameleon.
We then compared the L’Ange Rouge with a 2012 Del de la Terre Grenache (“salt of the earth”), made from Paso grapes. We found this to be a main-stream Grenache, with good structure and enough personality to improve in the coming years, if anyone has the restraint to lay it down.
Next up was their 2012 Homage a Steven Larner, named in memory of wine maker Steven Larner, who passed away in 2014. A blend of 62% Grenache and 38% Syrah, this wine is full of promise and potential. A year or two and this one will be amazing!
A favorite with both of us was their 2013 Beautiful Earth, made from 79% Syrah, 13% Grenache and 8% Mourvedre. Great balance of fruit and acid, with just enough tannins and spice to be intriguing, We enjoyed even more than the 2011 vintage. We brought a 2013 home with us.
One more favorite of the day was the 2007 El Hombre Syrah. With a leather nose and deep smoke and dark chocolate finish, we both thought of pairing this with bacon, of all things! We actually bought the last bottle in the winery!
It was time to head back north, so we paid for our wines and said goodbye to Pat. It took us 10 years to make our first return to Paso Robles, but we promised each other that it wouldn’t take another 10 to come back.
Cheers!
About the Author: John grills a mean steak and is always in the market for another wine fridge. Believes that if a winery has more than 10 employees, it's probably too big. Buys wine faster than he drinks it, but who cares?
