Calcareous Vineyards offers the unique distinction of sitting atop one of the highest limestone plateaus on Paso Robles’ westside extending panoramic views. Not only is this winery a fine location for tasting high-quality wines but to also enjoy a nice lunch + wine pairing along with the spectacular views.
Image courtesy of Calcareous Vineyard
Calcareous is open daily and offers many events throughout the year (see calendar). For over a decade now, Calcareous has produced a collection of world–class blends and varietal wines that exhibit Paso Robles’ claim to being distinctly different.
This is a perfect location to enjoy a relaxing day, a light lunch or evening sunset, but do be careful drinking and driving at this location as the road to get to here is quite windy and would not be suitable for anyone who might be slightly impaired. A chartered wine tour or Uber would be recommended here if you want the wine to flow freely.
Image courtesy of Calcareous Vineyard
Image courtesy of Calcareous Vineyard
Calcareous Vineyard
3430 Peachy Canyon Road
Paso Robles CA, 93446
Today, Thomas and I had the pleasure of attending our first wine seminar through an invitation from our friend and leisure travel consultant specializing in food and wine adventures, Lisa Baserga of AVA Wine Adventures, LLC. The seminar was presented by the Rhone Rangers, an organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge of Rhone grapes grown in the Paso Robles region and throughout the United States and was hosted at the Broken Earth Winery located in Paso Robles.
As a novice vineyard owner and babe to the wine industry, I found the seminar to be professionally organized, informative, and although there was well over 100 people in attendance, the venue felt intimate and the winemakers were accessible, friendly and willing to answer questions. The information the winemakers shared certainly gave me an education, especially about many varieties of grapes that I was not familiar with. I enjoyed the way they set up the table with a placemat labeled with each winemaker’s wine sample so that as each winemaker presented their wine, you could experience the wine as they spoke about it.
Each table was headed by a winemaker and I had the privilege to be sitting With Jason Hass of Tablas Creek Vineyard and founder of the Rhone Rangers Paso Robles Chapter. Jason was named the 2015 Paso Robles Wine Industry Person of the Year for his outstanding contributions toward the success of the Paso Robles wine industry.
Jason presented a not-yet-released 2017 Barrel-Sample Rosè called Dianthus, that I truly enjoyed as well as one of his exclusive vintage bottles, 2003 Panoplie, which he described as the best-of-the-best. It was a real treat and well enjoyed along with a gourmet buffet-style luncheon.
After the lunch, we were able to visit with all the attending winemakers who were pouring their wine and enjoy some one-on-one time with them. There were several nice silent auction items up for bid, some baskets containing wine, apparel and more; some were providing private tours of the winery, along with hotel stays and wine tours in vintage cars. I tried my hand at a few items but it seemed that I was always quickly outbid.
This was a very pleasant experience with an educational edge for me and I now look forward to visiting many of the wineries that were represented there.
The Aftermath
I want to again thank Lisa Baserga (AVA Wine Adventures, LLC) who made this day possible. Lisa is an experienced travel consultant specializing in food and wine adventures throughout the world. Please visit her site for more information on how she can create your own personalized wine adventure. www.departurelounge.com/travel-advisors/lisa-baserga
James Dean was a popular actor in the 1950’s who is remembered as a cultural icon for his Hollywood movie roles. He became a legend of sorts after his life came to a very untimely and tragic death at the early age of 24 when he died in a car accident at the intersection of Hwy 46 and Hwy 41 in Central California near Paso Robles. I was always told that there was a memorial for him but thinking it was on the West side of Hwy 46 from the 101 freeway, I could never find it.
Today I discovered the memorial site while traveling on Hwy 41 (East of Hwy 101), cutting across from Interstate 5. The memorial site is just a short distance from the actual crash site (the intersection of Hwy 41 and Hwy 46) where you will see an American flag on a chain link fence and his adoring fans still bring flowers 60 years after his death.
The memorial structure honoring James Dean stands on Hwy 41 located next to the Jack Ranch Cafe and adjacent Hearst Winery tasting room.
The Jack Ranch Cafe seems to be frozen in a time capsule with its retro decor and, as expected, the walls are flanked with images of James Dean and they sell some memorabilia, but the pleasant surprise was that they have quite an extensive menu and the food was good. The Hearst Winery tasting room is adjacent to the cafe and a nice way to cap off the visit.
So for any James Dean fans out there who might want to visit his memorial and pay tribute to him, I would recommend a stop here and, while you’re there, grab a bite to eat and taste some wine! Cheers!
The restaurant is located in the historic Sinsheimer Bros. building built in the 1880’s and the establishment oozes with charm and character. As you enter, you are greeted by the host behind a small Italian roadster which has been converted into reception desk, the exposed brick walls give the interior a cool vibe, along with vintage black and white images paying respect to the building’s historic past, and the original preserved vault – now turned into a tiny private seating area – takes the charm to the next level.
We arrived just after 3 pm when they stop seating at the restaurant tables in preparation for the dinner transition but they were serving in the bar area so we sat at a high-top table next to the fireplace and the vault. For warmer days, there is also a quaint bistro-style outside area.
They offer a good menu and nice libations and since they weren’t serving their dinner menu while we were there, we ordered several started items and shared them and we found them all delicious and satisfying.
Bruschetta
The entire visit was a pleasant experience, the servers were friendly and we would highly recommend a visit here.
Hello and welcome to Rover Hill Ranch. We are a retired couple who purchased a 10+ acre gentleman’s ranch in the Paso Robles Wine Region of California’s Central Coast.
In December 2017, we closed on our retirement dream home that we had been searching years for. It was quite a journey to get to this point but after much exploratory travel to numerous locations throughout the Western U.S., many compromises between husband and wife, a few ups and downs such as having to find a new agent mid-stream and losing out on a home we thought we so desperately wanted, and a lot of praying for guidance…our perfect home revealed itself. In January 2018, we moved into our home.
January also marked our new life into retirement…and therefore, a new year brings a new life for us. We will be documenting our journey through the ranch renovations, our explorations and discoveries in the Central Coast region, and everything else that comes along with this so-called retired life.
We named our ranch Rover Hill Ranch after our furry Rovers (two German Shepherds) and after the definition of the word Rover – ro•ver (a person who spends their time wandering) because it is our intention to enjoy some travel adventures throughout our retirement.
We hope you join us as our story unfolds and share your journey and stories as well. We encourage everyone to go out there and live your best life.
roverhillranch.com 