Quick Look: Niner Wine Estates, Paso Robles

The Niner Wine Estates is nestled into the smooth rolling hills of Paso Robles’ Willow Creek District, the acclaimed AVA that also includes well-known neighbors Turley, Booker and Linne Calodo. 
Niners’s large barn-style tasting room faces the lower slope of Heart Hill, a painterly vineyard planted with cabernet sauvignon, malbec and petit verdot, at the center of which resides a century-old oak grove in the shape of a heart (thanks in part to the late Booker brothers who once farmed this land and gave the otherwise naturally occurring grouping a little creative nudge). 
Charcuterie tiffin at Niner Wine Estates (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Charcuterie tiffin at Niner Wine Estates (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Heart Hill vineyard at Niner Wine Estates (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Niner Wine Estates (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

The Willow Creek District AVA is said to be nearly identical in climate to France’s Rhone Valley, and as such Niner makes an incredible wine dubbed GSM, a blend of syrah, granache and mouvèdre in the style of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. They also make great cabernets and Bordeaux blends (most notably the Fog Catcher) as well as very nice albariños and sauvignon blancs. The extensive line-up is a bit overwhelming, really.

Tastings at Niner are by reservation only, conducted outdoors on a beautiful socially-distanced terrace. Prices start at $20 per person, which is a steal considering they come with a charmingly creative picnic tiffin filled with charcuterie, local cheeses, pickles and housemade jams.

Niner Wine Estates, 2400 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles, California, 805-239-2233, ninerwine.com

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Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the James Beard Awards, the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, the pdn Food Photography Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as restaurant critic for the Orange County Register.

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