Grape Escape: A New Crush on Paso Robles 

October 24, 2025 – A single ray of sunshine illuminated a small patch on the very top of the Boekenoogen ranch in the Santa Lucia Highlands as we headed south on an unsettled weather day through the Salinas Valley.

Clouds created monstrous castles of potential precipitation as we turned onto G14 and took the back way towards Paso Robles. As we approached Fort Hunter Liggett, the sky descended upon us, soggy and glowering grey with heavy showers. Visibility was limited, but the sense of being in the wilds was as unmistakable as the smell of wet, dismally maintained pavement.

By the time we got to our first destination, Moose Mountain’s new vineyard and winery home just outside of town, the darkness lifted and the clouds withdrew, leaving stunning views to the east, shadows dancing on the bleached hills of the valley below. 

Winemaker Uli Bentancor and his fiancée Tedi—daughter of Moose Mountain owner Dr. Richard Schmidt—greeted us as they led us to the porch adjacent to one of the most magnificent pools I’ve seen up close. A piece of France had dropped right out of the sky. 

We reveled in the 280-degree view that the Daou brothers had enjoyed before they sold what was the former Patrimony Vineyard to Dr. Schmidt, who already has a Moose Mountain vineyard in San Martin but saw an opportunity to snag a piece of Paso Robles to expand his red portfolio. 

He also saw an opportunity to acquire a spectacular home that is now rented out on AirBnB. Having purchased a new venture in Italy, the Daou brothers subsequently sold their adult Disneyland namesake winery to Treasury Wine Estates at the end of 2023. 

“We now call this Moose Mountain South,” said Bentancor, who hails from Uruguay.

Beyond the pool, vines still hung with fruit in the mid-October rain, patiently awaiting better days to continue their ripening cycle. This plot provides Bordeaux varieties, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, which were previously spun into mega block buster-priced Daou wines under the Patrimony label. Uli and Tedi are learning the vineyard and its nuances, having only had a couple of vintages to experiment. They are hoping for a good outcome in 2025. 

We tried their 2023 “Let’s Be Franc, Dad,” a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, from their first vintage off the newly acquired property.  Quite dominated by herbaceousness, along with fresh lavender and fir, the flavors lean to blackberry and sage, with a smack of chocolate covered peppercorns. 

The 2023 Moose Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits blackberry pie, plum, cranberry and tobacco, accompanied by a great mouthfeel. They both are young and filled with promise: both the wines and their makers.

Joining us in the tasting were a delightful couple, Denise and Scott Schramm of CRUSH, who own a vineyard property nearby planted to Tannat, Tempranillo and Syrah. Their labels are silkscreened and the epitome of simple and direct. The Tempranillo is called Temptation, the Tannat is Tantalize and the Syrah, which sports a nearly invisible label (some experiments work better than others), is called Ellipsis. Scott says it’s his favorite grammatical element…it’s mine as well. 

We loved the 2021 CRUSH Tempranillo, where soy and coffee aromas are a prelude to a fascinating amalgam of cherry tobacco, mint, dried strawberry and blueberry and a smooth long finish. The 2021 Tannat is true to the varietal, with earthy and smoky flavors and aromas, leading to dried red plum and black licorice, with a bit of chorizo spice. Definitely a cool weather food wine: think spicy braised beef cheeks or carne asada. They also make a rosé of Tannat and one of Tempranillo. 

The CRUSH wines are generous, yet balanced. It’s no surprise the couple were in the fashion industry in NYC for 30 years, working for Saks Fifth Avenue, before migrating west to follow their daughters. They have a tasting room at Tin City Annex and their winemaker is Tyler Russell, who has made wines for Mesa del Sol in the past. 

After spending the night at the brand-new and utterly comfortable AVA Hotel in downtown Paso Robles, which has its own on-site restaurants, and is conveniently located within a short walk of The Square, we had an excellent breakfast at Pine Street Inn off the lobby. This is gourmet food made by chefs who are out to make an impression by heeding the details. 

My omelette was fluffy and the roasted potatoes crisp and evenly seasoned, and my husband loved the breakfast sandwich featuring a sausage patty and a perfectly baked egg round topped with a special sauce on a brioche bun.  Sometimes simple works. 

We give it two thumbs up. The AVA Hotel staff could not have been nicer and everything about the room, from the perfectly engineered bathroom with totally functional shower (extra points if the water pressure is great and doesn’t splash everywhere), to the walk-in closet that has two sides for hanging clothes, plenty of hangers and a bench for shoes. Whisper quiet fridge gets extra credit and the balcony door provided fresh air. Brilliant layout. 

The rooftop restaurant needs a bit of work, but we’re told that the hotel’s premiere dining place, EMRE, helmed in concept by local rockstar chef Julian Asseo and his wife Courtney (who also operate Les Petites Canailles, French for little rascals, and the Spanish-inspired S’Aranella), will open by the end of October. 

Julien is the son of French winemaker Stephan Asseo, who founded L’Aventure Winery, famous for blending Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Stephan was always fond of saying, “In France, I could not do this blend! But here, in America, we are free from silly rules!”  

It had been years since we visited wineries out on Peachy Canyon Road, and the road was wet and littered with rocks and silt from the recent rains, as we passed Caliza (newly relocated from Highway 46), and then Calcareous, with its gleaming ivory and eggshell soils. We sped (my husband can’t help it) past HMR, the famous 39-acre vineyard owned by Adelaida Cellars, from which I’ve tasted some of the most exquisite Pinot Noirs ever. These own-rooted vines planted in powdery calcareous soils in 1964, make it one of the oldest Pinot Noir vineyards on the Central Coast.  

Arriving at our destination, Sixmilebridge, we took in the modern setting with outdoor and porch seating, which offers vineyard views. Our pleasant server Jaime poured us a lovely floral and spice-accented 2023 Cabernet Franc rosé, followed by a flight of poised and sculpted reds, made by winemaker, Anthony Yount, who put Denner on the map with his outstanding rendition of Rhones. He also makes wines under his own label, Royal Nonesuch.

 Sixmilebridge, the passion project of Texan Jim Moroney III, is Yount’s chance to hone his Cabernet-based craft. We loved the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, Block 18, most of all for its purity and focus, although the 2021 Limerick, a Right Bank Merlot-dominant blend, was a solid performer as well.

The afternoon progressed to a visit with longtime friends, Gary and Marian Conway of Carmody McKnight, whom we’ve known for 30 years now. Conway is an accomplished artist and actor, who starred in Land of the Giants and Burke’s Law, while the stunning Marian was Miss America, 1957. 

They met at UCLA and are a fun and feisty couple who are opening a new tasting gallery on 13^th Street downtown, filled with Conway’s renderings of the Santa Lucia Mountain range, the drama of the Big Sur coastline and vineyardscapes from the Carmody McKnight property on Chimney Rock Road. 

The tasting room is delayed by the present government shutdown, as their license is pending approval, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying their current release of Cab Franc and a beautiful Bordeaux style blend as we enjoyed a wonderful lunch from Sabor & Sazon across the street. The corn souffles are fantastically textured, set on a parmesan fondue and accompanied by a velvety Honduran cheese sauce that makes you want to lick the plate. I was impressed with the end of season tomatoes they used for the caprese, which featured firmly pressed mozzarella dressed in a sweet balsamic glaze, and we also enjoyed the complexity of flavors and textures of the fish tacos. The coconut flan was also fantastic. Definitely coming back here. 

As a gift for the occasion of Gary realizing his dream of having a gallery, we brought a magnum of 2004 Carmody McKnight Merlot that I’ve been storing for over two decades for them to share whenever they have their Grand Opening. These people are very dear to us. Gary gifted me one of his bright spring vineyard paintings I’ve long admired, along with a bottle of the 2019 Art of The Vineyard Estate Cuvée, a wine that bears the same artwork on the label. 

Wine and art—the handcrafted kind— have a way of speaking volumes of unsaid but deeply felt emotions. It’s a beautiful way of keeping in touch with what’s real and meaningful in this crazy world.